Denver, CO – On a chilly night in the Windy City, the Denver Nuggets fought very valiantly but just couldn’t stop the red-hot Chicago Bulls, falling 129-121. Nikola Jokic, a man who truly redefines greatness every time he touches the ball, dazzled again with yet another triple-double, now his 21st triple-double of the season, which leads the league with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists. His court vision was out of this world tonight, with needle-threading-like passes that left the Chicago crowd in pure awe the entire time.
But sadly, Jokic’s brilliance tonight wasn’t enough. The Bulls were relentless from the 3-point line. Zach LaVine led the game in scoring for the Bulls, but it was Chicago’s depth that sealed the deal. Seven players hit double figures, including a fiery Ayo Dosunmu, who drained a couple of dagger threes late in the game which really made the difference. Denver looked in control early, even leading by 12 in the third quarter. But then, it happened… a brutal 30-8 run by Chicago flipped the script completely, and I and many other Denver fans were in shock. The Nuggets’ defense, which has proven to be shaky on the road, simply couldn’t adjust to the Bulls’ consistent and accurate perimeter shooting, and they paid the price by giving up a game that was easily winnable by all metrics. On a positive note, Michael Porter Jr. is now 3rd all-time in made Nuggets three-pointers.
Sadly, Denver now sits at a crossroads in terms of success this season. While Jokic continues to make his MVP case almost every night, the rest of the team must figure out some way to close games on the road, especially when Jokic is resting on the bench. A win here would have been a momentum boost for both the team and Jokic’s MVP race, but now they head home with more questions that need more answering than ever before.
