Nuggets 133, Bulls 128: Denver's third quarter flips a preseason shootout
Chicago led by nine at halftime, but a 40-26 Denver third quarter decided a preseason game in which Leonard Miller scored 26 off the bench.
The Denver Nuggets beat the Chicago Bulls 133-128 at Ball Arena on Sunday night, a preseason game that Chicago controlled for the first half and lost in the third quarter. The result does not count in the standings, but the way it turned says something about both rosters as the regular season approaches.
A first half that belonged to Chicago
The Bulls shot the ball well from deep early. According to On Tap Sports Net's recap, Chicago made 13 of 25 three-pointers on its way to a 68-59 halftime lead, helped by a 41-point second quarter. Buddy Hield hit four first-half threes.
The third quarter
Denver outscored Chicago 40-26 in the third and carried a 99-94 lead into the fourth, per TalkBasket. Aaron Gordon started the run with a three, free throws and a driving dunk, and Nikola Jokic set up Cameron Johnson and Jamal Murray. Josh Giddey's free throws gave Chicago an 89-88 lead with 2:47 left in the quarter, On Tap reports, and the Bulls never led again.
Gordon finished with 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Jokic had 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 26 minutes, a triple-double in limited preseason minutes. Johnson added 15 points, Murray 13 and Julian Strawther 13 off the bench, and DaRon Holmes II closed the game with a dunk and free throws.
Miller keeps Chicago close
The best individual line belonged to Chicago's Leonard Miller, who scored 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting, including four threes, in 22 minutes off the bench. When Denver's reserves pushed the lead to seven in the fourth, On Tap reports, Miller scored Chicago's next nine points in under two minutes. Rookie Caleb Wilson added 17 points and five assists, though On Tap notes he also had five turnovers, and Matas Buzelis scored 13 points in his first game back after turning his right ankle against Memphis.
Chicago finished 21 of 50 from three-point range. The Bulls were also whistled for 31 fouls to Denver's 16, and Denver took 46 free throws to Chicago's 18, according to On Tap. Free-throw volume was one of the clearest gaps in a game that was otherwise evenly shot: both teams hit about 51 percent from the field, per TalkBasket.
What it means
Preseason results are a poor guide to the standings, and rotations are still being sorted. For Chicago, the notable items were Miller's production as the most effective big man available, with Nic Claxton, Zach Collins and Tobe Awaka out according to On Tap, and Buzelis' return from his ankle injury. For Denver, the template was familiar: Gordon and Jokic took over the game when it mattered.
Chicago plays at Milwaukee on Wednesday, then opens the regular season in Toronto on October 21. Denver moved to 2-1 in the preseason.