The Altitude Test: Building an Early Edge
Playing at mile-high elevation on no rest is no joke—it’s like trying to sprint after sucking on a helium balloon. The Bulls, though, came out swinging, ballooning an 18-point lead in the first half behind sharp ball movement and timely triples. Josh Giddey, flashing those All-Star credentials we’ve been hyping in our Giddey deep-dive, stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points and 14 boards, while Kevin Huerter chipped in 20. Nikola Jokić, doing his usual wizardry with 36 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists, kept Denver in it, but the Nuggets’ vaunted bench? It was a no-show early, getting outscored 66-9 overall by Chicago’s second unit. Clearly, the Bulls bench spark was the game-changer.
That disparity was the game’s secret sauce. As Giddey put it postgame, “Our second unit was unbelievable. The Bulls bench spark kept us in the game when our first unit wasn’t playing well.” Check the full box score on NBA.com for the raw numbers—it’s a testament to depth in a league where stars steal headlines.
Fourth-Quarter Fireworks: When the Lead Vanished (And Returned)
Halftime swung Denver’s way, 64-63, as Jamal Murray started warming up his 34-point barrage.But the fourth? Pure drama. Aaron Gordon’s 24 points on acrobatic finishes over taller defenders had everyone muttering about another collapse .
Enter the clutch gene. Giddey spun baseline for a bucket, then Jokić drained a three to nudge Denver ahead by two. Fade to black? Not quite. Vučević, ice-cold at 2-of-12 entering the stretch, kicked out to Huerter for a go-ahead swish. Jokić answered, but Vučević’s dagger three at 33.4 seconds sealed it at 126-122. “He had missed that shot three times in a row,” Nuggets coach David Adelman admitted, per ESPN’s game recap. The Bulls bench spark shone through, with a big shot by Vučević on a night that he really struggled.”
Reserves to the Rescue: The True Heroes of the Night
This wasn’t just a starters’ showcase; it was the bench that bent the arc. “It’s kind of who we are as a team,” Giddey marveled. “We’ve been a deep team. Tonight it was in spades. The Bulls bench spark lit up the game. For more on Chicago’s rotation magic, dive into our Utah double-OT breakdown—it shows how this depth carried over.
Outbound nod: If you’re geeking out on advanced stats, Basketball-Reference’s play-by-play highlights how Chicago’s pace-and-space attack exposed Denver’s closeout lapses. Jokić even owned it: “They had a really good night shooting. They scored 19 threes.”
Why This Win Feels Bigger Than the Score
Snapping a skid after five straight Ls—dropping from 6-1 to this brink—could’ve fractured the locker room. Instead, it forged them. “We stuck together,” Giddey said. “Proud of the guys and proud of the Bulls bench spark that ignited us. It was a really hard-fought win. It’s a reminder: In the NBA’s grind, anything’s possible, as Kevin Garnett once barked . Echoes of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s passion? Maybe she was onto something—count the ways this team loves to defy the odds.
For Vučević’s full arc this season, hit our player profile hub. What’s next? A breather before hosting the East, but momentum’s a funny thing. Stay tuned.
