Not a bad core, considering they'll soon add a high lottery pick to them in the NBA's deeply-flawed, reward-losing structure.

My all time favorite non-Nuggets player and the reason I won $280 on only my 2nd try at roulette in Black Hawk. #33 has always been my jersey/lucky number because of Pippen.

With Big Tom heading back to the G-League, IS the band back together?

Nuggets vs Bulls II: With Otto' joining so many other Rockies in Yankee pinstripes, lets honor the short memory of relief pitchers and hope the Nuggets exhibit some of it.

When last these two teams squared off in game seven of this season the Nuggets (lap) enjoyed double figure TPM contributions from four players led by Nikola Jokic: +18. Two players were in the red for that match-up led by Malik Beasley: -10 as the Nuggets narrowly defeated the Bulls on a game winning tip-in by HBP, with a final score of 108-107 in Chicago.

In that game Denver played to the level of it's competition, much like they did in Phoenix recently but I don't expect a repeat performance after being pwned by the world champs two days ago (more on this later.)

As for this game, I expect a focused an vigilant energy out of the Nuggets and I don't expect to see much of the starters in the fourth period. Denver can't afford to take this game or the next vs Cleveland lightly as the schedule becomes hellish after that. Fortunately, beCAUSE the next game is Cleveland, the Nuggets are unlikely to fall prey to a flaw they've exhibited in the early season being the young team that they are and looking past tonight's game.

I just made myself laugh by virtue of time-machine-like qualities of this TPM piece which have a tendency of making a hypocrite out of me. I just glanced at my final thoughts from their previous encounter. Speaking of short memory, They go a lil' some'n like this:

I'm never boldly predicting recycling time in the first quarter again!

We're fucked Nuggets fans. Royally so!

Now here are some numbers you can use:

Chicago gives up 110.9 PPG by their opponents on average, to Denver's 106.3

The Bulls average 100.9 ppg offensively to the Nuggets 110.4

This results in a net rating for Chicago of -10.0 and +4.1 for Denver

Chicago is 5-18 on the road while Denver is 18-4 at home

In terms of conference record The Bulls are 7-18 to the Nuggets 18-9 mark which is important only in as much as understanding the strength of schedule involved as the Western Conference is as much as ever, the stiffer competition.

Denver is also the only team in the league that is undefeated within their division which also means next to nothing aside from using it as a barometer in the strength of competition level

Denver of course is second in the Western Conference standings, 1.0 games behind the Warriors while Chicago currently resides in 14th place in the Leastern Conference, 22 games out

When it comes to the other meaningful statistical box-score production the comparison is as follows:

(team with advantage in bold)

CHI: RPG 41.4 APG 21.5 SPG 7.95 BPG 4.52 FG% .444 FT% .780 3% .346

DEN: RPG 46.8 APG 27.2 SPG 7.93 BPG 4.63 FG% .465 FT% .751 3% .353

The numbers on whole favor the Nuggets, largely due to their unmatched shooting prowess but as anyone who reads my piece knows, I don't believe any statistic or even a complex, predictive conglomeration of statistics are nearly as accurate in indicating actual results as are the unquantifiable variables of "Mo & flow™" momentum and the ability to find the zone. To that end, Denver has won 12 of their last 17 but are coming off of a keelhauling at the hands of the Warriors, while Chicago have been victorious in just four of their last 18 games, including eight straight losses.

For Denver, individual consistency is simply not a thing for this squad so it's more difficult to predict how a player will contribute based upon trends; particularly so as the starters begin filtering back from injury and roles are altered/redefined in the coming games. Jokic has been consistently good but in different ways seemingly every night.

With that said, Big Honey is a legit MVP candidate and an emerging superstar, while Murray is coming into his own as Robin to The Joker's Batman (I'm not certain how that works either) while Millsap/Harris provide secondary options when things get problematic on offense; simultaneously carrying the bulk of the defensive burden and the Nuggets boast one of the deepest benches in the league, even without Vandy, I.T. and MPJ.

There are of course many other variables at play including match-ups; styles make fights. For example, The Bulls had no one on their roster who could contain Millsap who seems to be finally gathering his bearings after returning from injury over the course of the last two games for Denver, which is obviously good for the Nuggets. Conversely, Wendel Carter Jr feasted against a defensively disinterested Jokic last time but had no defensive answer for him.

Prediction: Denver 129 (lap ) - Chicago 107. I'm calling a blowout and I'd be very disappointed if it is anything but following Monday's unpleasantness.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

If you are viewing the pre-game version of the TPM piece; and you enjoy Gonzo-basketball reporting, I invite you to please join me after the game where the same link will lead you to the post game version. In it, all of the disjointed/unsightly blanks below will be filled, complete with data/analysis and more snark than "Snarknado VI: Snakenado", which I'm told is about a pessimistic, albino, black mamba who emerges from micro-bursts to torment the people of Los Angeles with shady tweets.

There be monsters; shameless, personal plug alert! (by permission of Denver Stiffs): If you are in the market for clothing, featuring the four major Denver sports franchises as well as CU, please open this link in a new tab to see if there is anything you are interested in. You don't have to order from the link of course if you are in the Denver Metro area, as I'm more than happy to meet up with you (please refrain from bringing rotten tomatoes), drastically lowering the cost, as Poshmark takes a healthy cut as well as shipping & handling. Thanks in advance!

Unique, hard to find, one of a kind and custom gear of your favorite team

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

And now what none of you come here for; how about some basketball nerdery?!?!

(After these messages... Er Nicknames)

Chicago Bulls Roster

NO	Name	POS	Age	HT	WT	College	Salary
20	Rawle "Doggin" Alkins	SG	21	6' 5"	225 lbs	Arizona	G-money
51	Ryan "Arcade" Arcidiacono	PG	24	6' 3"	200 lbs	Villanova	$1,349,383
9	Antonio "Low Blow By Griffin" Blakeney	SG	22	6' 4"	192 lbs	LSU	$1,349,383
34	Wendell "The" Carter Jr.	PF	19	6' 10"	255 lbs	Duke	$4,441,200
32	Kris "T.R." Dunn	PG	24	6' 4"	205 lbs	Providence	$4,221,000
6	Cristiano "El Colegio Comunitario" Felicio	PF	26	6' 10"	265 lbs	Brasilia	$8,740,980
3	Shaquille "Wait, Isn't This Already Shaq's Adopted Name?" Harrison	PG	25	6' 4"	190 lbs	Tulsa	$1,311,265
7	Justin "Time To Celebrate The Halloween" Holiday	SF	29	6' 6"	181 lbs	Washington	$4,384,616
15	Chandler "Peta Mellark" Hutchison	SF	22	6' 7"	197 lbs	Boise State	$1,990,520
8	Zach "Yves" LaVine	PG	23	6' 5"	200 lbs	UCLA	$19,500,000
42	Robin "Sideshow Bob" Lopez	C	30	7' 0"	275 lbs	Stanford	$14,357,750
24	Lauri "The Marksman" Markkanen	PF	21	7' 0"	240 lbs	Arizona	$4,536,120
2	Jabari "Even Taller Than Candace" Parker	PF	23	6' 8"	245 lbs	Duke	$20,000,000
22	Cameron "Major" Payne	PG	24	6' 3"	190 lbs	Murray State	$3,263,294
5	Bobby "Well That's One Way To Win A Position Battle" Portis	PF	23	6' 11"	250 lbs	Arkansas	$2,494,346
0	Tyler "Achiles"Ulis"ses"	G	22	5' 10"	160 lbs	Kentucky	G-Money
45	Denzel "Hallmark" Valentine	SG	24	6' 6"	210 lbs	Michigan State	$2,280,600

Denver Nuggets Roster

NO	Name	POS	Age	HT	WT	College	Salary
5	Will "The People's Champion" Barton	SG	27	6' 6"	190 lbs	Memphis	$11,830,358
25	"Mutant" Malik Beasley	SG	22	6' 5"	195 lbs	Florida State	$1,773,840
3	Torrey "FUCKING" Craig	SF	27	6' 7"	215 lbs	USC Upstate	$2,000,000
2	Brandon "Hopefully Contributes To Many The" Goodwin	PG	23	6' 2"	180 lbs	Florida Gulf Coast	$630,032
14	"Just" Gary Harris	SG	24	6' 4"	210 lbs	Michigan State	$16,517,857
41	Juancho "The Mouthful" Hernangomez	PF	23	6' 9"	230 lbs	Espana	$2,166,360
15	Nikola "Big Honey" Jokic (AKA The Joker)	C	23	7' 0"	250 lbs	Gotham	$24,605,181
20	Tyler "Not just Anunobody" Lydon	PF	22	6' 10"	225 lbs	Syracuse	$1,874,640
7	Trey "The Swiss Army Spork" Lyles	PF	23	6' 10"	234 lbs	Kentucky	$3,364,249
4	Paul "The Anchorman" Millsap	PF	33	6' 8"	246 lbs	Louisiana Tech	$29,230,769
11	Monte "Ratio" Morris	PG	23	6' 3"	175 lbs	Iowa State	$1,349,383
27	Jamal "The Blue Arrow" Murray	PG	21	6' 4"	207 lbs	Kentucky	$3,499,800
24	Mason "Plumdog Millionaire" Plumlee	PF	28	6' 11"	235 lbs	Duke	$12,917,808
1	Michael "The Sleeper Cell" Porter Jr.	PF	20	6' 10"	210 lbs	Missouri	$2,894,160
0	Isaiah "Ice" Thomas	PG	29	5' 9"	185 lbs	Washington	$1,512,601
8	Jarred "The Amalgamated Version Of A Dude I Once Bought Weed From On Haight Ashbury" Vanderbilt	PF	19	6' 9"	214 lbs	Kentucky	$838,464
45	Thomas "Irvine" Welsh	C	22	7' 0"	255 lbs	UCLA	G-Money

Update: MPJ and I.T. are sleeping on Ice, awaiting intel as to when their services will be required. Rookie Jared Vanderbilt will have to wait to make his rookie debut until long after R.O.Y. candidate Thomas Welsh, as he recovers from an actual injury. Harris is a game time decision with an achy hammy. As for the Bulls, Carter is a out with a thumb injury.

Re-up: Harris is in, Barton is out.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Data:

TPM™ Game 44 CHI

Jamal Murray: +28

Isaiah Thomas: Injured

Monte Morris: +17

Brandon Goodwin: +6

Gary Harris: +16

Malik Beasley: +18

Torrey Craig: +8

Will Barton: N/A

Juancho Hernangomez: +8

Michael Porter Jr.: Injured

Jared Vanderbilt: Injured

Paul Millsap: +7

Trey Lyles: +8

Tyler Lydon: -4

Nikola Jokic: +37

Mason Plumlee: +14

Thomas Welsh: N/A

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Total TPM™

Jamal Murray: 44 games +765

Isaiah Thomas: 0 games +0

Monte Morris: 44 games +513

Brandon Goodwin: 11 games +17

Nick Young: 3 games -2

Gary Harris: 26 games +400

Malik Beasley: 44 games +286

Torrey Craig: 40 games +20

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: 6 games +5

Will Barton: 5 games +51

Juancho Hernangomez: 43 games +5

Michael Porter Jr.: 0 games +0

Jared Vanderbilt: 0 games +0

Paul Millsap: 36 games +326

Trey Lyles: 41 games +229

Tyler Lydon: 16 games +3

Nikola Jokic: 44 games +978

Mason Plumlee: 44 games +342

Thomas Welsh: 9 games +18

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Avg. TPM™ Per Game

Jamal Murray: +17.39

Isaiah Thomas: N/A

Monte Morris: +11.66

Brandon Goodwin: +1.55

Nick Young: -0.67

Gary Harris: +15.38

Malik Beasley: +6.50

Torrey Craig: +0.50

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: +0.83

Will Barton: +10.20

Juancho Hernangomez: +0.12

Michael Porter Jr.: N/A

Jared Vanderbilt: N/A

Paul Millsap: +9.96

Trey Lyles: 5.59

Tyler Lydon: +0.19

Nikola Jokic: +22.23

Mason Plumlee: +7.77

Thomas Welsh: +2.00

__________________________________________________________________________________________

TPM™ Per-Minute Splits Through Game 42:

*Credit DomP on the Spreadsheet. It's as if my (nerdy) baby (TPM™) learned to speak

Qtr1- The Nuggets again go with their 8th iteration of the injury-replacement starting five, consisting of Murray, Beasley, Craig, Millsap & Jokic. The Bulls counter with Dunn, Levine, Hutchison, Markkanen & Portis. I wish Will Barton the best with whatever personal issue is afflicting him today, causing him to miss action. With someone as competitive as he, it must be a pretty serious issue to keep him out. Jokic goes coast-to-coast following a steal for just the second time this season. It's a slow start for all Nuggets not named Torrey Craig (who is 2-2 from downtown) but Denver leads by one at 8:22. Millsap in particular is struggling early on both ends. Jokic is complaining far too much after each shot and he's yet to be rewarded with a foul. At some point he'll have to learn that this isn't working and that he has a bad reputation amongst officials. It's not fair but it's true. The Bulls lead by three at the time of the first break at 7:43.

Chicago is in the full court press following the break. 'Sap makes his first appearance with a monster put-back dunk. 'Atta boy HBP! Big Honey is starting to pick Chicago apart out of the double team and Denver leads by six on the strength of a 9-0 run. Torrey makes it 3-3 from distance, this one of the four point play variety. The lead is 10 on the strength of a 13-0 run at 4:45. Craig is the first to reach double figures but The Finnisher is (the Finnish equivalent of) en fuego and the lead is down to three at 3:15. Plumlee/Harris are first off the pine at this time. The Joker is accumulating turnovers on the pass-off as Chicago is not respecting his shot and over-playing the passing lane. Morris/Lyles are in for the Nuggets with 1:41 remaining and a three point lead. Lopez is having a "frisky hair day" according to Marlow. Juancho is in with 1:04 to go and a one point lead. Denver is paced in TPM by Jokic +13 as they trail 28-30 after one.

Qtr2- The Nuggets bench unit is starting to pick up the defensive intensity that frankly, I'm surprised the starters didn't exhibit after the ass-kicking they had in the last game. Denver leads by six on the strength of a 10-2 run at 9:50. Harris is looking fully healthy for the first time since his original injury which is fantastic news. A nifty no-look drop off pass by Juancho results in a 13 foot floater for Plumlee. Lyles with the lovely lavender leg-wear this evening, goes 0-2 from the line and everything is coming up short for him lately. Both teams have gone cold from the floor and the lead remains six for the good guys at 4:39. I see that the Lakers are playing OKC tonight; meteor game if there ever was one.

Only Murray and Juancho have failed to score for the Nuggets thus-far of the ten men who have seen court time. Jokic takes an "only-Jokic" foul at 3:33 and I fail to see how that helps his cause. He earns a three point play on a behind-the-back drive and becomes the second player to reach double figures for Denver who now lead by nine at 2:44. Murray FINALLY scores on a three with 1:30 to go. Markkanen who is having a sensational first half (20 points and seven boards) must check out at with only 35 seconds remaining, due to earning his third foul, as the Nuggets enter the bonus leading by 11. Denver is paced in TPM by Jokic +21 as they lead 61-47 at the half.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Qtr3- There is not a world in which I can envision Markkanen scoring nearly all of the Bulls points again in the second half and the rest of them frankly, are at a talent deficit so Denver needs to put the pedal to the metal and put this one out of reach from jump-street. EVERYONE MISS EVERY BUNNY! (was apparently the mantra for both teams over orange slices at half-time.) Big Honey is still griping about fouls; still not getting many called. Funny how that works young fella. He is however on 3D watch with 18-7-7, as Denver leads by 18 with 9:58 to go. LaVine scores his first bucket on the night (1-10.) This one is starting to have the feel of one of the many games in which Jokic will not get a 3D due to the scoreboard entering the 4th and I'm certain that he couldn't possibly care any less.

Murray/Beasley make four in double figures. The lead for Denver is 28 with 5:48 to play. The Blue Arrow is heating up and the lead is 26 for the Nuggets at 4:36. Millsap makes five in double figures for Denver, all of the starters. Jokic has a 2d with 18-8-11. Denver leads by 30 on another three by Jamal with 2:45 remaining. The Joker checks out, likely for the night. Murray is 7-10 from distance thus-far. Lopez is now having a "big hair day" sayeth Marlowe. I didn't care for the two 40 foot three's attempted by Murray who obviously knows he's about to be done for the night. Denver is paced in TPM by Beasley +16, Murray +28 & Jokic +37 as they lead 103-73 after three.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Qtr4- "Lyles off of the wrong foot but into the right basket" says Marlowe. God I love him! Chicago calls a curious, early timeout at 10:38 of a 30 point game, after each team scores two a piece. All starters for Denver were out to start the fourth so I don't really understand it. Moving right along, Plumlee appears to have gotten one in the plums and Denver calls a timeout at 9:25. Now THAT timeout doesn't baffle me in the slightest. The Nuggets have attempted only two sideline three's on the evening. Harris makes six in double figures for Denver.

Juancho finally scores on, you guessed it, a sideline three. You're welcome Juancho, Juancho men. The Nuggets have an outside shot at getting all ten players who saw action into double figures in this one. They all have at least six but Plumlee and Morris check out at 4:22 for Lydon/Goodwin and that recycling time I ordered is now official. Denver leads by 40 at 2:08. The ref's have decided to stop participating so I will too. Denver is paced in TPM by Plumlee +14, Harris +16, Morris +17, Beasley +18, Murray +28 & Jokic +37 as they win big, 135-105.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Final Thoughts: The more Jokic shoots, even when he's failing to convert easy ones like tonight, the better the Nuggets are. Excellent to see Denver respond in this way; even better to see Harris looking "right" for the first time since the early portion of the year. My pregame prediction game is back on point after a one night hiccup. I predicted 129-107, above.

The Nuggets Win!

For context pertaining to the statistical aspects of this piece, please open this link: TPM™

A brief statement with regard to this piece on whole:

As a means to avoid repeating myself I will include this descriptive diatribe in all TPM posts going forward.

Sure I like statistics; ever since I was a child collecting sports cards and later a pre-teen who ran pre-internet fantasy sports leagues on ink/paper/spreadsheet for the four major US pro-leagues, I've been fascinated by box-score stats but I'm by no means an expert.

I created TPM (which has been around longer than RPM incidentally and unlike them, I fully disclose my non-proprietary system and I contextualize the action rather than being a boring, mysterious, predictive metric) because it does add immediate and accessible context to what we see and what the numbers indicate, which I like.

While the data is meticulously tracked and demonstrably sound, I'm a creative type, not an engineer. Algorithm is the bane of my existence in fact. I'd far rather approach life with the intrigue of expected surprise than attempt to get to the bottom of why things are the way they are. There are many engineers in my family so I totally understand that joy can be derived from finding solutions to problems, I just can't relate. It's not fun for me. THIS is for the most part, not fun for me.

Now I'm a 41 year old man who was born the year after the team I love joined the NBA. I happen to have a lifetime of experience with this sport in several different capacities, including playing (highly underrated within the writing community) so I understand basketball theory in a way most (by no means all) pundits do not.

I was in this case interested in a data-driven approach, which if I'm honest has sapped nearly all fun out of taking in games for me. I get very few days/nights off during the season. One piece requires several hours of research and data entry and all tracking/analysis is done in real time and published mere moments after each game's completion, 82 times (more this season) per year.

As such, the analysis portion is about 90% (I've run the numbers) creative writing with sarcasm generally indicated through italics, non-sequitur humor and hyperbole, in an attempt to steal back some of the joy this endeavor has snatched away.

Hopefully there is a little something here for everyone but if you came just for data or are averse to colorful language, this is not the place for you. I have no way of knowing how many people even read this so I'll not be affected even remotely if you choose not to indulge. For those of you who do, I greatly thank you for the support.

Denver Nuggets Bulls vs Nuggets coverage Blog a Bull