Second-half surge pushes Bulls past Nuggets
Isaiah Downing - USA Today Sports

Second-half surge pushes Bulls past Nuggets


by - Senior Writer -

DENVER - Facing off against one of the best teams in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets (46-20), the Bulls used a massive second half to score more than 60 points and deliver what could be their best all-around performance of the season to beat the Nuggets 117-96.

The loss was only the fifth home loss of the season for Denver, and it came in impressive fashion if you are the Bulls. This is what has been the biggest mystery for the Bulls this season. Last year, Chicago beat the teams they were supposed to beat, but then struggled against playoff-caliber teams. They did a complete 180 this season and have done well against postseason teams and terrible against the teams they should win against. That will make things very interesting should the Bulls find a way to sneak into the field.

If the Bulls are going to make some run in the final 16 games, they will need Zach Lavine to keep playing the way he has for the past two months. Ranked third in the NBA regarding rim finishing, Lavine led all scorers with 29 points and set the tone for a strong second half. Having an athletic player like Lavine does help, but having an inside presence like Nikola Vucevic to take some of the pressure off is more crucial than you realize.

After going through a four-game stretch where he was non-existent at best, Vooch returned to his old self and came away with 25 points and 15 rebounds. When he has double-double games, the Bulls are a much better team, and he knows he needs to provide that going forward. Chicago also benefitted from the play of Demar Derozan and Patrick Williams, as they added 35 combined points between them.

Williams came away with 18 points off the bench to lead the second unit, while Derozan finished with 17. That is 90 combined points between the four of them, and when you get that kind of production, you are tough to beat. Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White added 15 additional points off the bench for the Bulls as they did what they needed to do to win.

When you talk about surprising teams this season, Denver has to be at the top of that list. While many expected them to be a playoff team once again, no one expected them to have the top seed in the west, as Michael Malone has done a phenomenal job with this group. Remember that the current Bulls President, Arturas Karnisovas, laid the groundwork in Denver, and Chicago fans are hoping he can change the narrative in Chicago.

The success of the Nuggets starts and stops with the two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who very well could win his third straight this season. Despite leading the Nuggets in scoring, the Bulls defense did a great job defending him as they held him to just 18 points. He did add 12 rebounds and eight assists for a near triple-double, but Chicago limited his production, which was critical.

Outside of Jokic, Denver had a bevy of double-digit scorers, but none had overly great games. Aaron Gordon did his best to complement the MVP, but still finished with only 17 points. He was the only player to have more than 15 points for Denver, which was a huge issue all game.

Michael Porter Jr (12 points), Jamal Murray (11 points), and Thomas Bryant (10 Points) all had double-digit nights, but it wasn't enough to take down a very impressive Bulls squad. Chicago will return to the floor Saturday when they face an NBA worst Houston Rockets team.

Windy City Dominates the Legends in game one of a Back to Back

As the G-League regular season ends this month, only a few teams are hotter than Windy City. Coming off their first loss in five games and winners of six in the last seven, the Bulls have put themselves in a position to make the postseason and strengthened that with a dominating 122-110 win over the Texas Legends.

The Bulls were led by a trio of 20-point scorers, including the leading scorer in the G-League, Carlik Jones. Jones finished with 24 points and has continued to shoulder the load offensively. However, the newest Windy City member, Terry Taylor stole the show. Acquired via the waiver market, the former Indiana Pacer has fit in exceptionally well with the Bulls since arriving.

He led all scorers with 29 points and also hauled in 14 rebounds. Throw in the 20-point, 12-rebound effort from Ethan Thompson, and this team had everything working on Wednesday. David Otturu added a third double-double as he finished with 16 points and 12 boards off the bench. Windy City returns to the floor Thursday and will face this same Legends group again as they eye the sweep.

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