When faced with the specter of ending a 12-game winning streak at home against the Bulls, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic said no thanks to that and led their team to victory on Friday night.
Jokic finished an assist before a triple-double, with 34 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, while Murray scored 31 of his 34 points in the second half, including a 3-point basket to force overtime on the bell.
They managed to withstand a great effort by the Bulls, who were led by 32 points from Zach LaVine and 22 points from Otto Porter Jr. off the bench.
The Nuggets started the game slow, struggling to hit the chance against the Bulls’ defense. Meanwhile, the Bulls were able to get everything right, receiving contributions from their players to help them take the lead from the start. Denver ended up shooting just 36 percent in the quarter, and dropped 30-20 after the first frame.
They started the second half with a more sloppy game, missing the jump shots and turning the ball. The Bulls were more than happy to capitalize on their mistakes, obtaining transitional buckets and taking advantage of incompatibilities. MPJ rechecked and was able to help give the bank a boost with some 3 point and medium jumpers. As soon as Jokic returned, he hit a 3-point basket as well, helping Denver return to a two-game possession. The other Porter hit a jumper and Denver had a few twists, which allowed LaVine to hit a float to increase her team by 10.
The Nuggets continued to play at a dull level throughout the third quarter. Whether they were failing to make a quick turnaround in defense, going back in transition or calling the screens, they were not doing the little things that contribute to victory for most of the period. Jamal Murray scored nine points in the quarter, and they managed to keep the game within ten points thanks to a flurry of MPJ at the end of the quarter. The energy of the Nuggets screamed “we can press a button and beat these guys” and they started running out of time to press that button.
The Bulls took off at the start of the fourth period, taking a game they had reduced to an 8 point disadvantage and falling behind by 14 to 7:30 at the end. Coby White was called for a flagrant foul for running under MPJ in a 3-point attempt, and Denver scored four points from that possession after Murray’s tray. Jokic started giving the deal to the Bulls and the referees, but Otto Porter Jr hit some contested jumpers to keep pace with the Nuggets.
The Nuggets really increased the pace and the energy, and that led to a good run. Jokic had a rebound and played for MPJ for a dunk to cut the lead to four with 3:30 remaining. A 3-point Murray gave the Nuggets a 108-107 advantage. Some bad transition in defense and taking the foot off the gas ended the race, and two quick goals from Chicago added four points. Campazzo made a great steal with 27 seconds left, and Murray’s basket in possession of the ball that followed reduced the lead to one. They took down LaVine, who made both gifts, but Murray nailed it with a 3-point corner with 0.4 seconds left to force overtime.
Denver got the first baskets in the extra period, with Murray throwing a 3-point basket, and then Jokic knocking Barton’s seventh lost basket in the night. Murray worked with his MVP center to enter the middle lane, spinning on a fadeaway that he was able to reach. Barton hit a huge basket in the paint, fighting the traffic, increasing the Nuggets by nine points. Denver couldn’t figure out how to get good shots at his next two belongings and let LaVine easily dive into Campazzo. LaVine scored again at Campazzo, taking advantage of the much smaller player for two easy points. Barton received a technical whistle for hitting Arcidiacono in the face, but Jokic made his free throws to keep Denver ahead.
Jokic went into god mode against Thaddeus Young, using all possible moves to achieve a split with a right hand swing. LaVine returned to the free throw line, keeping the Bulls close with a couple of marks. Murray hit a jumper with a 15-foot base hand after the Bulls folded Jokic in pick and roll, floating in another clutch basket. The Nuggets lured LaVine into a bad possession, with MPJ and Campazzo getting in the way of the Bulls All-Star in a terrible attempt to hit the bell that would not be worth four points anyway.
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Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Three things I saw
Defensive communication from the Nuggets sucked tonight. There will never be a perfect scheme for the teams, and a good defense can always be defeated by a kick that simply enters, but if the team will not speak when it is on the court, they ‘will always fight. There were many pieces in which the guys got lost in the transition or were crushed on the screens, and that points to communication. It is not enough to know what to do – you also have to add the verbal part. Call screens, talk about assignments and execute the scheme you have in place. If the other team still scores, great, but at least you’re doing your part to make things difficult.
A story of two games. He had the first game, which started in the first half and was until about six minutes into the fourth half, and the second game, which lasted until then overtime.
The Nuggets have a point guard who needs to kick more. The bank was killed tonight, and part of the problem they face is that Facu Campazzo is no longer trying to score the basketball goal. He had nine attempts at total field shots in his previous three games and played more than 20 minutes in each of those games. Campazzo had his minutes tonight, but he isn’t even trying to put the ball in the paint or kick when he catches the ball at the perimeter. I thought that, as a veteran guard, he would know how to join the attack? He doesn’t even make open jumpers is a joke – no matter how many assists or detours he gets if he’s not willing to shoot. The bank cannot survive if Campazzo does nothing on the offensive side.
Perhaps it was exactly that contrast between Campazzo and Coby White. One is a point guard who only looks to pass, and the other is a point guard who only looks to score. Both are flawed players and need to be less radical in their game to really help their teams.
One example – at the end of the fourth period, the Bulls were attempting a smooth one-two against Jokić. They had a guard looking at him, trying to move back and forth to distract him and force him to roll the baseline to score. The Nuggets can overcome this by moving and cutting in the attack, but Campazzo does not cut the paint, and this allows his defender to get out of it and protect the paint. The Nuggets ended up turning the ball in that possession, with Murray making a bad pass to Jokic – a situation in which Gary Harris would have been able to cut and kick.
Campazzo contributed in other ways tonight – LaVine’s theft literally rocked the game – but with the increased minutes with Monte Morris out, he needs to do more to help the team.
Final thought (bonus!) – The Nuggets won a game they were not supposed to win. I hope this recap is not too negative, because a victory is a victory, but damn, they didn’t make it easy. To New Orleans on Sunday!