Nuggets come home to face off with the rebuilding Bulls.
Pre-Game Thoughts: The Bulls have 5 PGs on their roster. 7 if you count Blakeney and LaVine. 8 if you count Robin Lopez. If you count Robin Lopez, you don't count. The snark factor at Blog A Bull is high which assholes like myself always appreciate and is illustrated in their pre-game headline's subtext, by writer Paul Steeno:
Can the Bulls extend a six game losing streak to seven?
The Bulls haven't won in this dusty old cow town since 2006. Even in the days of Jordan and Pippen, when the Bulls were everybody not living in Detroit's "back-up favorite team" (including myself) Chicago has, I wouldn't say struggled in Denver but they've always found the going tough in the Mile High City.
I vividly recall my all time favorite player Mahmoud Abdul Rauf hanging 32 on them, putting an end to their club best 18 game winning streak in victory, during Chicago's then record breaking 72 win season as circumstantial (the only level of detective work I generally care to put effort into) evidence:
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Torches 72-win Chicago Bulls "Stephen Curry Like Performance"
Phil Jackson clearly remembered as well:
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Was More Than ‘Steph Curry Before Steph Curry’
Phil JacksonVerified account @PhilJackson11
Never seen anything like SCurry? Remind you of Chris Jackson/ Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who had a short but brilliant run in NBA?
Scottie was by the way, my all time favorite non-Nugget and the reason I wore 33 in all sports growing up. I even won over $300 by betting on 33 black in my very first game of roulette in Central City!
Cheers to you Paul Steeno! I may have a bit of a crush:
As always, the ideal outcome for this game is a competitive loss to see some kind of development from the Bulls youngsters.
Been there with my Nuggets all too often my man.
Anyway, in terms of this game, tonight there is no excuse for the Nuggets to not earn a blowout victory. They are amongst the leagues best home teams and there is no reason to believe that Chicago has any incentive to actually win games. They'd like to learn winning ways and develop without actually winning; a delicate balance indeed.
Denver Roster:
Will "The People's Champion" Barton,
Juancho "Ironically, No Room For A Nickname" Hernangomez
Richard "The Dragon Slayer" Jefferson
Kenneth "The Manimal" Faried
Trey "Bien" Lyles
Darrell "Darth" Arthur
Tyler "Not just Anunobody" Lydon
Nikola "Big Honey" Jokic
Mason "Plumdog Millionaire" Plumlee
Michael "Mr Imagination" Malone
Chicago Roster:
"Every Kiss Begins With" Kay Felder
Cameron "Ascribing Nicknames Lately Is A Major" Payne
Antonio "The Human Kangaroo? Hell I Dunno" Blakeney
Quincy "Standin' On The Wall, Like He Was" Pondexter
Denzel "Less Anxiety Ridden Royce White" Valentine
Lauri "The Marksman" Markkanen
Nikola "I Can't Get Away From Portis Even In The Nickname Bit" Mirotic
Cristiano "Gargantuan Reynaldo" Felicio
Update: Millsap had successful left wrist surgery and is expected back some time around the all star break. Chandler is out with a sore back and Plumlee is probable with a strain of the abdominal muscles for the Nuggets. As for the Bulls, Lavine has yet to make his Bulls debut after tearing his acl, Mirotic is out with Portis related repercussions & Payne is out following successful foot surgery.
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Data: Open this link in a new tab for the definition of TPM™
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TPM™ Game 21 CHI
Jamal Murray: -10
Emmanuel Mudiay: +10
Monte Morris: N/A
Gary Harris: +24
Will Barton: +31
Malik Beasley: N/A
Torrey Craig: N/A
Wilson Chandler: N/A
Juancho Hernangomez: -8
Richard Jefferson: +5
Paul Millsap: N/A
Kenneth Faried: +7
Trey Lyles:+1
Darrell Arthur: N/A
Tyler Lydon: N/A
Nikola Jokic: +4
Mason Plumlee +3
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Total TPM™ starting Game 1 vs. Uta
Jamal Murray: 21 Games +181
Emmanuel Mudiay: 21 Games +223
Monte Morris: 0 Games +0
Gary Harris: 19 Games +252
Will Barton: 21 Games +209
Malik Beasley: 19 Games +38
Torrey Craig: 1 Games +0
Wilson Chandler: 18 Games +107
Juancho Hernangomez: 10 Games -18
Richard Jefferson: 6 Games -2
Paul Millsap: 16 Games +173
Kenneth Faried: 18 Games +40
Trey Lyles: 16 Games +33
Darrell Arthur: 2 Games -4
Tyler Lydon: 1 Games -3
Nikola Jokic: 21 Games +314
Mason Plumlee: 21 Games +58
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Avg. TPM™ Per Game
Jamal Murray: +8.62
Emmanuel Mudiay: +10.62
Monte Morris: N/A
Gary Harris: +13.26
Will Barton: +9.95
Malik Beasley: +2.00
Torrey Craig: 0.00
Wilson Chandler: +5.94
Juancho Hernangomez: -1.80
Richard Jefferson: -0.33
Paul Millsap: +10.81
Kenneth Faried: +2.22
Trey Lyles: +2.06
Darrell Arthur: -2.00
Tyler Lydon: -3.00
Nikola Jokic: +14.95
Mason Plumlee: +2.76
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TPM™ Per-Minute Splits Through Game 20:
*Credit DomP on the Spreadsheet. It's as if my (nerdy) baby (TPM™) learned to speak
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Analysis:
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Qtr1- The Nuggets go with Murray, Harris, Juancho, Faried & Jokic. The Bulls counter with Dunn, Holiday, Valentine (what a festive roster this is! Trade for Ezili!), Markkanan y Lopez. Ally is rocking cascading disk ear rings and an olive colored smock tonight. I kinda like it. Jokic allows the first 7 points defensively in a 7-2 start for the Bulls. Valentine looks much smaller in the context of the game. Denver's defense is absolutely porous both at the point of attack and on the switches, as CHI jumps out to a 13-6 lead at 7:45, with Murray and Jokic the primary culprits. This isn't CP3, Harden or even Rubio; It's Kris tap-dancing Dunn! Learn to defend the P&R! Jokic is -9 thus far in TPM at 6:16. Markkanen is impressive! Apparently he's called the Finisher. I like that better than my nickname, though both apply. Barton and Mudiay check in at 5:33 down 18 already. Why do I get the feeling that this loss-in-the-making will be somehow blamed on Mudiay? Barton drills two from downtown to cut the lead to 12. Lyles and Plumlee are now on the floor with only Harris remaining from the starting unit. Barton IS the first thing resembling offense and unfortunately that means they are running iso at the moment. The bench unit, perhaps in comparison to CHI's bench, or perhaps in comparison to the Nuggets starters, are the superior group tonight and all of a sudden have cut the lead to 5 with 2:10 remaining. We have an R.J. sighting in this all bench unit to close the period. Barton is the 1st Nugget to reach double figures. Murray and Barton both have 2 fouls. Denver is paced in TPM by Barton's +5 and trail 39-30 after one.
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Qtr2- Beasley has yet to be rewarded with non-garbage time minutes for his very solid play of late. Plumlee looks fantastic tonight, despite the injury & leads all Nuggets in TPM with +6 at 10:15. This has definitely been R.J.'s best showing as a Nugget. The bench seems to be tiring at 8:33 and the lead is back up to 10. The starters -Faried Join Barton on the court, now down 13 at 8:07. JOKIC JUST WON A JUMP BALL!!!! Denver FINALLY decides to give it to Jokic in the post and the offense looks creative for a moment. What do you know? They are even remembering how to play some semblance of D with Dunn not on the court. That is, when they don't get PG's switched onto PF's. The starting Bulls unit is back in and back to dominating that of Denver for the most part. JOKIC JUST DUNKED THE BALL!!!! He scores for the first time tonight and seems to be rediscovering his feel for the game, as Denver cuts it to 8 at 2:37. Jokic is definitely in the flow now, with 6 points in a row. AAAAAAAND he's down in a hunch after again rolling his ankle! FTW! He's able to shoot his FT's prior to checking out so that he's not disqualified to return. It took R.J. Explaining the rule to him. Faried fouls as a means to check Jokic out, and both FT's are thankfully missed; I'd hate to have to take TPM points from Faried for that. He's the 2nd Nugget in double digits. Denver is paced in TPM by Barton +13, only one Nugget is negative, Murray (-9) but it's a winnable game, 68-62 at the half.
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Halftime: Smoke break? Sure, why not.
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Qtr3- The Nuggets are going with a small-ball lineup with Barton in for the injured Jokic, who's x-rays were thankfully negative & he'll try to give it a go later. Denver has GOT to get something, anything out of Murray and Juancho who have been invisible thus far. Harris is starting to get it going as he's the third Nugget in double figures and Denver has cut the lead to one at 8:28. Barton is running the point in this lineup, which essentially means he's taking it to the rack at all times unless someone is wide open. Murray and Mudiay would actually be wise to copy this from time to time, I just don't love Barton doing it every time. Murray is starting to show up a bit as he ties the game at 74 with three FT's. Still no Juancho however, though he's clearly on the court; I'm looking at him right now. Dunn thankfully, acquires his 4th foul. Faried has a 2d at 5:35 and has played for the most part, better D tonight. Barton and Harris are repeatedly scolding Juancho for being in the wrong place on both offense and defense. Murray nabs his 4th at 4:38 while challenging Markkanen on a missed rotation, ironically by Barton. Carryin' Jerian Grant made me look prophetic just now, but was rewarded with 2 points nonetheless. I had no previous knowledge of his predilection for carrying the ball, just liked the poetry of it. Harris is carrying the Nuggets in his own right on both ends and Denver has a 4 point lead at 2:40. Barton is still cookin' from downtown as well. Murray who was inexplicably left on the floor picks up his 5th foul at 1:46. That's inexcusable Malone! It'd be one thing if he wasn't ice cold from the floor and playing poorly on the other end. Barton is an unconscious 6-8 from deep. Denver is paced in TPM by Harris +20 & Barton +25 but the Nuggets trail 92-91, due in no small part to the horrendous closeout attempts by Juancho who played the entire third.
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Qtr4- Denver is going with a Harris + Bench unit to start the 4th. IMHO Malone needs to pull his starters, in a stagger, earlier in the third so that he can trot them out as a unit or with a hot hand to BEGIN the 4th, since these young bucks have not yet learned how to acquire momentum mid-quarter. If CHI could make their FT's they'd be at risk of winning this one. This bench unit is struggling mightily on the offensive end with only Harris, a guy who has trouble creating on his own, as an established scorer. They have yet to score, 3 minutes in before Mudiay takes it to the rack for two and they trail 95-93 at 8:56. Marlowe just told "Derrick" to get lost. I laughed. Denver has a 4 point lead at 6:48 as it seems someone must have slipped in the "tank" memo during the Bulls last huddle. Gonna go out on a limb and say that Big Honey will not get a 3d tonight. Plumlee gets his 5th foul at 5:45, but remains in. CHI knots it up at 4:03, and are having trouble following orders with the Nuggets refusing to cooperate in their tanking. Murray can't buy a make, from deep or at the rim tonight. I question why Mudiay who was having his first good game in about 5 or so, isn't in. Lyles is the 4th Nugget to reach double digits. Harris is a vastly improved defender this season. He's becoming what we were all told he was coming out of the draft defensively; bonus being that he's one of the best shooters in the NBA to boot. CHI leads by one with 1:00 to play. Make that three as Denver switched Murray onto Markanen for about the eleventy Brazillianth time tonight and he drains an easy jumper. I fear this (switching into mismatches) will always be the case in any lineup that features Faried on D. Barton hoists a predictable hero-ball three with the Nuggets trailing by that margin and :45 to play, but is rewarded with three at the line. BIG ones. He drills them all and we are tied at 108! Denver gets a stop on the other end and Barton is again fouled, this time on a drive and he takes/makes1-2 to give Denver the lead that the Bulls fans desired so. Dunn is switched onto Faried predictably on the other end leading to an easy layup and they take a one point lead, but with no time outs remaining Barton takes it to the rack for the game winning reverse layup and a career high 37 points! Chicago likewise, with no timeouts are forced into a desperation 45 foot heave by Valentine that is off target to close it out. Denver is paced in TPM by Mudiay +10, Harris +24 & Barton +31 and win it by a final score of 111-110.
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Final Thoughts: Barton and Harris stepped up huge when Big Honey went down. R.J. definitely played a role in calming this young team when they needed it. Not a good win, but a W nonetheless.
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