The Denver Nuggets apparently didn’t get the memo that tonight was supposed to be a night off and instead went full bore against the Chicago Bulls. The game more or less played out like a regular season blow out would with the starters taking the fourth off while the bench and then deep bench attempted to hold on to the massive lead. They nearly didn’t but in the end the Nuggets were still able to get the win. More importantly, they look ready to go for the regular season and the entire league should be on notice.

Denver opened the game with their full compliment of starters on the floor, as did the Bulls (sans Coby White) who got some early threes from Josh Giddey. Neither team ran into much in the way of resistance from the defense but the Nuggets were executing at peak level and thus their offense was better and they built a lead. Chicago cooled off massively and couldn’t stop fouling why Jamal Murray remained hot and led a 16-0 run. Denver pushed their lead up to thirteen before some of the bench started checking in and the offense died down. The Bulls lost all momentum though so the lead stayed above a dozen going down the stretch. Chicago closed strong and got back within eight by the end of the first quarter, Denver led 37-29.

The Nuggets continued to play their regular rotation to start the second and continued to keep the Bulls at an arm’s length. The game would have been blown wide open had it not been for Matas Buzelis who was playing very well. On the Nuggets end Murray continued to be brilliant. The offense was much harder to come by in the second quarter compared to the first, particularly midway through the quarter when neither team could buy a bucket. Denver started cutting and passing, that got their offense moving again and the lead pushed up near twenty before Patrick Williams hit a three to end the Nuggets run. Tim Hardaway Jr. built a fine house with all the bricks he was laying at the end of the half and the Nuggets headed to the locker room up just twelve, 67-55.

It was still business as usual for the Nuggets to open the second half and the starting unit continued to click pushing up Denver’s lead. This isn’t meant to be a Jamal Murray appreciation post but he continued to look in midseason form and was playing as well as he ever has in October. When the bench started checking in again it was a healthy lead for the Nuggets that quickly eclipsed twenty. Denver went a good bit of the third quarter playing with not even an attempt at a semblance of a point guard and just let Nikola Jokic cook. That went fine, and could have completely busted the game open if his teammates hit a couple more open shots. He checked out with three minutes to go in the third and Denver up twenty-two. The Bulls kept pace to close out the third, but could make no headway and the Nuggets went to the fourth up 104-83.

The fourth started with Murray still on the floor but it wasn’t long before the Nuggets went full bench. That group performed fairly well. They committed too many fouls but Peyton Watson looked better at bringing the ball up the court and Julian Strawther had a back to back baskets (also a wedgie). With about four minutes to go the deep bench started to check in with Jalen Pickett, Zeke Nnaji and Hunter Tyson making their first appearances. DaRon Holmes and Curtis Jones weren’t far behind and garbage time was on. Jones bombed away on some threes (so so results) but largely it was not good looking basketball in Denver and the Bulls made one last gasp run. Had they had about two more minutes they very may well have pulled off the comeback. Instead they were forced to settle for beating the spread and not the Nuggets. Denver wins 124-117.