The Denver Nuggets came into their home matchup with the Chicago Bulls with history on their side. The Bulls have not won in Denver in 13 years dating back to February 8th, 2006 and the Nuggets were looking to extend that streak.
Unfortunately, the Nuggets were without Will Barton, who was dealing with personal issues, but they also welcomed back Gary Harris who missed five games with tightness in his left hamstring. Inversely, the Bulls were without rookie sensation Wendell Carter Jr.
While the first quarter was rough, Denver took care of business in the final 36 minutes of game time. Denver obliterated the Bulls 135-to-105 to get back to their winning ways and notched their 30th win of the season.
The first quarter did not begin the way that Denver had hoped. Every starter not named Torrey Craig looked half asleep in the first five minutes of the game as the Bulls jumped out to an 11-to-8 lead. For Denver, they needed a confidence boost and a big win against the Bulls, but in the early portion of the game, things were not trending that direction.
Then Paul Millsap threw down a hammer of a put-back dunk that brought the Nuggets back to life. That dunk began a 9-0 run for the Nuggets who took back control of the game. Millsap knew that Denver needed a big win and, when Denver started slow, it was Millsap who stepped up and pulled them out of their struggles.
While the Nuggets offense continued to hum, they were completely unable to slow down Lauri Markkanen who finished the first quarter with a whopping 15 points on 10 shots in 10 minutes. Denver’s abysmal defense continued to haunt them as they allowed the Bulls to score 30 points in the first quarter and trailed 30-28 after the first 12 minutes of action.
The second quarter brought a rejuvenated Denver defense. In the second 12-minute period, Denver held the Bulls to a measly 17 points on 8-of-20 shooting from the field. Denver was able to force turnovers, force bad shots, and took care of business in the second frame.
For the final six minutes of the first half, Nikola Jokic had enough of the mediocrity. He took the game into his own hands and began to eviscerate any defender standing in his path. Inversely, Markkanen continued to hit all kinds of tough shots as he put up 20 points in the first half. Despite Markkanen’s strong first half, Jokic led Denver to a 14-point lead by a score of 61-to-47.
The Nuggets did not let off of the throttle at the start of the third quarter. Jokic continued to attack the Bulls bigs relentlessly and was getting whatever he wanted. When Jokic was feasting in the paint, Jamal Murray was hitting shots form long range. As a cherry on top, Denver’s once dominant returned as well. In the third period, Denver expanded their lead as high as 30 points.
In the third quarter, Jamal Murray turned into the basketball version of molten lava. He had six made 3-pointers in the third quarter alone and had an insane 22 points as he helped propel Denver to a 103-75 lead heading to the fourth and final quarter.
The fourth quarter was more of an exhibition for the Nuggets end-of-bench players and Zach LaVine’s own personal dunk show. By the time the game had ended, the Nuggets won by 30 points en route to a 135-to-105 win.
By the time the final buzzer had sounded, Nikola Jokic flirted with a triple-double once again. He finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists in just 25 minutes of action. When Jokic was not producing, Jamal Murray picked up the slack with 25 point and five assists including 22 point in the third quarter alone. Paul Millsap also had a strong game as he put up 14 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Gary Harris, in his return to the hardwood, also had a strong night with a line of 14 points and two assists
Next, the Nuggets will have one day off before taking on the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers in the friendly confines of the Pepsi Center. Denver will be looking to begin a new winning streak when they tip off at 8pm MST on Saturday night.
