The Bulls were on fire from 3-point range on Saturday night, but their 20 makes from deep wasn't enough to stop a dominant performance from Nikola Jokic.
The new-look Chicago Bulls came into Saturday night looking to build some team chemistry as they took on one of the top teams in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Denver had the best Offensive Rating in the league at 120.7 points per 100 possessions coming into Saturday night, so it came as no surprise when they came out firing on all cylinders offensively, shooting 60.9% from the field in the 1st quarter, and building up a three-point lead in the process. But despite Denver getting whatever they wanted offensively early, they couldn't slow down the Bulls on the other end.
Chicago managed to keep pace behind some great guard play, with Anfernee Simons specifically, showing that he is a threat to take and make a 3-pointer from virtually any spot beyond the arc.
The Bulls went into the half leading 65-59, a lead that was built on the back of Simon's aforementioned hot shooting, as he finished with 13 points, including the above four-point play. Chicago went into the half feeling great, but then Denver showcased exactly why they are a championship-level team year-in, year-out. Jamal Murray exploded for 15 points in the third quarter, keeping the Nuggets afloat despite their defensive woes on the perimeter.
Chicago, to their credit, did not fold under pressure. Yes, they did fall behind, but as cliche as it sounds it was not for a lack of effort.
Matas Buzelis continued to flash and all-around skillset, even more so in the absence of Josh Giddey and Tre Jones. Buzelis led the Bulls in points, rebounds, and assists early on, before Simons started to to get in a solid playmaking groove himself to finish with a team-high six assists. Buzelis ended the night with a (still) team-leading 21 points and 8 rebounds.
More nights like this will be expected from Buzelis as the Bulls roster--by construction--are going to be playing three and even four guard lineups at times.
Ultimately, the Nuggets ability to string together stops in crucial moments is what separated the two squads in this one. A game that started as defense optional, eventually saw one side lock in defensively. The Bulls incredible shooting from 3-point range was encouraging, but the extent to which they were dominated in points in the paint made the difference in this game.
Nikola Jokic put up a somehow-quiet 20-point, 14-rebound, 16-assists triple double, with he and Jamal Murray combining for a whopping 27 assists. Jokic only took 10 shots on the night, as he was able to control the game with his passing and rebounding alone. An obviously overmatched Guerschon Yabusele did an admirable job and did not back down from Jokic once all night.
Yabusele started at the center position as the Bulls continued to start with a smaller group to start games. He put up 10 3-point attempts on the evening, doing an extreme version of the stretch-five role that now-Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic once occupied.
Yabusele wasn't the only new Bull to pop off the screen on Saturday night, as Rob Dillingham was electric despite a modest looking stat line of 9 points and 4 assists over 21 minutes. His speed and shiftiness is something the Bulls have lacked for quite some time, even if he does need to get that ability under control a bit. But when Dillingham is focused and decisive, he can get to the cup and set up his teammates in a hurry.
Collin Sexton was second on the Bulls in scoring with 17 points, and second on the team in FGAs behind Anfernee Simons (15). I mention the FGAs because it will be quite interesting to see how the offensive responsibility is divvied up on a per game basis, with so many offense-first, scorers on the roster.
Credit has to go to Billy Donovan, as this essentially brand new roster is clearly doing their best to make the extra pass and take good shots.
How Donovan's coaching style meshes with all of these new players is not certain yet, but the team appears to be taking Donovan's words to heart. Moving forward, center Nick Richards could eventually get a look with the starting unit, as he was productive with 15 points, 7 rebounds, a block, and only the second 3-point FG make of his career. Richards was also 4-5 from the FT line. More minutes for Richards could have perhaps help lessen the Nuggets massive 60-36 advantage in points in the paint.
The new-look Bulls are fun, but over this fina stretch of the season, the real question will be: are they competitive?