Following three off nights and two days of observe, the Chicago Bulls had a possibility to notch a signature win on the United Heart Sunday night time, dealing with a Denver Nuggets crew ending up an arduous highway journey.
However in the long run, the competition culminated in a quite deflating 126-103 defeat. The Bulls by no means led, trailed by as many as 28, and didn’t draw inside single-digits from late within the second quarter till the ultimate buzzer.
Listed below are 10 observations:
1. This was the Bulls’ first sport since Wednesday night time, and to listen to Billy Donovan inform it, the crew used the down time to observe laborious, notably on Friday. In the meantime, the Nuggets confirmed up for his or her fourth sport in seven days — all on the highway.
Nonetheless, it was the brisker crew on paper that received off to a gradual and sloppy begin. After the primary quarter, the Bulls trailed 32-20, permitting 60 % capturing and 11 assists to Denver whereas capturing 40 % and committing six turnovers in their very own proper.
2. Fortuitously one of many Bulls’ biggest early-season strengths — their second unit — can be one of many Nuggets’ largest vulnerabilities, particularly with spark plug scorer Bones Hyland in well being and security protocols.
Early within the second quarter, one of many Bulls’ most well-liked stagger group between the primary and second quarters (Zach LaVine plus a reserve quarter of Goran Dragić, Alex Caruso, Derrick Jones Jr./Javonte Inexperienced and Andre Drummond) opened an 8-2 run, led by some disruptive protection, in opposition to Jamal Murray and a handful of Denver second-stringers to chop a 12-point result in six.
Within the third quarter, a Dragić, Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, Jones, Nikola Vučević unit threatened to make the competition aggressive with a 7-0 run that trimmed an 18-point deficit to 11.
However in each cases, the Nuggets re-gained management with the assistance of their top-end gamers. Within the second, it was Nikola Jokić and Michael Porter Jr. Within the third quarter?
3. Properly, that was Porter’s time. He scored 16 factors within the interval and placed on an otherworldly shotmaking show by making 4 of 5 makes an attempt from 3-point vary. Two of these got here by way of off-balance nook catch-and-shoots that helped the Nuggets leap from that 11-point result in up 20 in a matter of minutes.
In all, Porter completed with 31 factors (11-for-16 capturing, 6-for-9 from 3-point vary), his first 30-point sport of the season. The Bulls merely didn’t have the perimeter measurement to hassle his trademark excessive launch, and he leveraged aggressive closeouts to slash to the rim for just a few finishes too.
4. At halftime, Jokić had 12 assists in 18 minutes of sport motion — and simply three discipline purpose makes an attempt. It wasn’t as if the Bulls had been trapping him on each contact, as some groups select to do in opposition to the two-time MVP. He merely appeared content material to dictate the phrases of engagement by selecting the Bulls’ protection aside along with his passing, and did so along with his typical model of precision and audacity:
With the Nuggets stretching their lead into the 20s early within the fourth quarter, Jokić solely logged 10 second half minutes and completed with 14 assists, 4 wanting his single-game profession excessive of 18. However he little question may have hit that quantity if required.
5. When buzzing, Denver’s offense is a flurry of screens, cuts and ball-pinging sequences. In different phrases, Billy Donovan’s dream. On this one, Jokić’s 14 assists led the way in which to 33 dimes as a crew. The Nuggets additionally positioned 5 gamers in double-figures: Porter, Jamal Murray (23), Aaron Gordon (13), Bruce Brown (12) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (10).
6. Actually, the Bulls’ protection did little to disrupt that rhythm, regardless of the crew getting into the sport tied for fourth within the league in defensive ranking. The Nuggets had loads of free lanes to the basket and open appears to be like from distance en path to capturing 60 % as a crew and 48.1 % from past the arc. That continued a development of shoddy ball containment when not forcing turnovers.
And, for good measure, Denver additionally shot 24-for-30 (80 %!) within the restricted space and scored 58 factors within the paint along with their devastating jump-shooting.
7. The Bulls’ offense was lots disjoined too, racking up 24 assists in opposition to 19 turnovers and capturing 6-for-22 (27.3 %) from 3-point vary. Six of these turnovers got here in a very sloppy first quarter that spring-boarded the Nuggets’ assault.
8. It will be troublesome to single out one particular person for such a deflated, team-wide efficiency. LaVine (21 factors, 8-for-15 capturing) and DeRozan (16 factors, 6-for-11) completed with superb stat strains, albeit not impactful sufficient, and with 1-for-6 3-point capturing from LaVine; Vučević had a pair sloppy first quarter turnovers and matador defensive sequences within the paint; Dosunmu missed all 4 of his 3-point makes an attempt; Patrick Williams had a handful lively sequences en route to fifteen factors, 4 rebounds and two blocks; Drummond (13) and Dragić (11) mixed for twenty-four factors off the pine.
Finally, it was a rout that felt extra indicative of the crew’s broader building than anyone participant’s efficiency. Or, at the least, a obvious lack of urgency regardless of the Bulls being the crew making an attempt to claw again to .500 and with the schedule benefit.
9. One notable rotational takeaway was Inexperienced logging simply three minutes pre-garbage time, whereas Jones (14 minutes) noticed the lion’s share of the backup energy ahead minutes.
10. In a rarity, Dalen Terry helped mop up the ultimate minutes of this one simply over seven hours after tipping off a G League sport with the Windy Metropolis Bulls up in Hoffman Estates. Terry had 14 factors, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in 33 minutes in that sport; in opposition to the Nuggets, he put up 5 factors, two assists and nailed a nook 3-pointer.
Subsequent up: To New Orleans for a rematch with the Pelicans on Wednesday.
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