The Denver Nuggets didn’t get off to the best start to their road trip, losing by nearly 30 points to the Minnesota Timberwolves in blowout fashion. After playing well against average to subpar teams for much of the last few weeks, the Nuggets went into a challenging place to play against a team that matches up well against them, and they got shellacked.

Is that going to define the rest of this road trip? The Nuggets are in Chicago today. They go play the New York Knicks on Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, and the Charlotte Hornets on a back-to-back on Saturday. That’s not horribly difficult overall, though the Knicks matchup will be tough. That Knicks matchup also highlights how important this Chicago game is. Denver could be in line to lose three straight games if they don’t take care of business tonight, yet it would be easy to overlook Chicago in preparation for Denver’s final trip to the Big Apple this season.

Let’s delve into the Chicago Bulls matchup:

Denver Nuggets @ Chicago Bulls

Projected Starting Lineups

Denver: Russell Westbrook, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic

Chicago: Josh Giddey, Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vucevic

Key Bench Players

Denver: Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Aaron Gordon, DeAndre Jordan

Chicago: Ayo Dosunmu, Dalen Terry, Matas Buzelis, Jalen Smith

Notable Injuries

Denver: Vlatko Cancar – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT

Chicago: Coby White – OUT, Torrey Craig – OUT

Key for the Nuggets – When will Aaron Gordon start?

This isn’t necessarily a “this game” question, but it’s something the Nuggets are definitely thinking about. At some point, Aaron Gordon is going to return to the starting lineup. He’s too good, and the Nuggets need his defensive capabilities too much to go without him for too long. Since his return from the second calf injury, Gordon has averaged merely 20.5 minutes per game in seven games. There’s a sense that he’s getting tired of coming off the bench, too.

The natural response is: which starter goes to the bench? Russell Westbrook has made a home in the starting unit, playing excellent basketball next to Nikola Jokic. Christian Braun is averaging an impossible 17.5 points per game on 65.6% from the field, 46.2% from three, and 88.2% from the line in his last six games while providing a layer of defense on the wing. He has started every game this season.

Westbrook or Braun would seem the only two choices. Jokic obviously isn’t getting benched. Jamal Murray has played well and has proven to be a necessary element for Denver. Michael Porter Jr. has struggled a bit lately, but he was the most consistent non-Jokic option in the calendar year of 2024.

Good luck trying to figure out this one, Michael Malone.

Important Matchup – Nikola Jokic vs Nikola Vucevic

Could it really be anything else?

These are the two of the best centers in the NBA this season. Obviously, Jokic remains the best in the world, but don’t sleep on Nikola Vucevic, who’s having his most efficient scoring season by far. Zach LaVine takes a lot of the attention, and rightly so, but Vucevic could put up some serious buckets today.

Jokic will have a great opportunity against him though. The Bulls are the 23rd ranked defense on Cleaning the Glass, and they get worse with Vucevic on the floor. His minutes will likely mirror Jokic, who should have an opportunity to put up some serious numbers today. Can Jokic do enough defensively to deter what the Bulls want to do? It’s unlikely Vucevic can, but he and LaVine could get back the Nuggets on the other end.

Number of the Day – 2

That’s the number of wins the Nuggets have against the top four seeds in either conference so far this season. Denver sports a 2-7 record against the following teams:

  • 0-2 vs Cleveland Cavaliers
  • 0-1 vs Boston Celtics
  • 0-1 vs New York Knicks
  • 0-0 vs Milwaukee Bucks
  • 1-1 vs Oklahoma City Thunder
  • 0-1 vs Houston Rockets
  • 1-1 vs Memphis Grizzlies

Denver gets nine more games against those teams across the rest of the season. Those matchups won’t determine Denver’s seeding to me, but they will determine Denver’s strength. Do the Nuggets have the capacity to beat elite teams this season? The jury is still out.

Nugget who should have a good game: Jamal Murray

Jamal Murray was perhaps the only Nugget other than DeAndre Jordan to have a good game in Minnesota. Murray had 25 efficient points and held up reasonably well defensively in his minutes. He’s still inconsistent, but the highs are becoming more frequent.

Chicago doesn’t have great personnel to match up with him. Lonzo Ball (shoutout to him for getting healthy) will probably spend some time guarding him, as will Ayo Dosunmu and Dalen Terry in bench minutes. Murray should find scoring and playmaking opportunities all night. We will see if he takes advantage of them.