The Denver Nuggets had something to prove in their Halloween matchup with the Chicago Bulls.
After missing the playoffs in back-to-back years by one single game, Denver needed to show that they can beat teams they are better than on the road. Unfortunately, Denver came out flat and were seemingly spooked for unknown reasons. Their energy came and went like a sugar rush from too much Halloween candy, but Denver still found a way to squeak out a 108-107 overtime win over the Bulls in Chicago.
Gary Harris was a monster from the start. He had back-to-back buckets to get things started for the Nuggets and kept it rolling from there. He was in complete control, but for the rest of the quarter Denver relied too heavily on jump shots and their rhythm dissipated. Once the Nuggets began settling on offense, their defense followed suit.
Suddenly, the Nuggets were playing defense as if they were aberrations and their offense became so cold that it sent chills down the spine of all viewers as if a ghost had appeared. Denver still managed to finish the quarter with a four-point lead by a score of 28-24, but it was clear that Denver was frustrated.
Things got downright spooky in the second quarter as the Bulls pulled within two points. Denver was allowing three pointer after three pointer as their defense was more of a specter as opposed to anything real. But then, when it seemed as if the Nuggets had no momentum, Harris threw down a dunk with the strength of the supernatural.
Harris obliterated Chicago’s backup center Cristiano Felicio with a poster dunk with so much ferocity that brought the Nuggets’ bench to their feet like zombies rising from their graves. Denver was able to take some positivity with them into the locker room for halftime with a marginal lead of just 51-48, but there was still an ominous feeling in the air. Denver was not playing anywhere near their best and needed to bounce back in a big way.
Unfortunately, the third quarter was much the same. The Bulls continued to play with more energy and the Nuggets failed to respond in any meaningful way. Denver was turning the ball over at a rapid pace, could not create any separation, and allowed to Bulls to grab all of the momentum. Denver carried a tiny two-point lead into the fourth and final quarter by a score of 80-78.
Denver had just 12 minutes left to prove to the rest of the league, and themselves, that they were ready to take the next step of maturation as a team.
That was when the monster was unleashed. At the six-minute mark, Jokic returned to the game and refused to be stopped. He punished anyone in his path and drug the dying Denver team to overtime. He was dishing out assists, defending with tons of aggression, was assertive offensively, and gave the Nuggets life when it seemed like they had none. It may not have been pretty, but he gave Denver five more minutes to escape with a win.
To begin overtime, Malone elected to play Murray, Harris, Malik Beasley, Millsap, and Jokic — the same squad who finished the fourth quarter. Jokic picked up right where he left off and hit a tough fading jump shot and two massive three-point buckets. While Jokic was feasting, Denver’s defense was unable to slow down the three-point barrage of the Suns.
Denver trailed by one point with 3.5 seconds left, Jokic got the ball on the block and missed the jumper, but Millsap somehow corralled the offensive board and put the ball back in to give Denver their sixth win of the season by a score of 108-107.
Jokic almost had his second triple-double of the year even though he struggled for all four quarters, but came alive in the last six minutes of regulation and overtime. He finished with an impressive 22 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, but also committed six turnovers.
Next, the Nuggets will head to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers for the second game of their back-to-back. Their matchup with the winless Cavaliers will tip off at 6pm MST as the Nuggets look to improve to 7-1 to begin the 2018-19 season.
