The Chicago Bulls came off to a slow start going down nearly 20 points in the second quarter to the Denver Nuggets. The Bulls went down 57-34 at halftime led behind Nikola Mirotic’s 16 points on 7-13 shooting. Mirotic finished the game with 18 total points. The Bulls couldn’t make a comeback as they lost the the Denver Nuggets 112-94.
Jimmy Butler struggled with his shot early in the game but took on the play-making role as he dished out four assists in the first half. Butler did not play in the second half due to rest. Joakim Noah took a nasty fall in the first quarter as he got tangled up with Kenneth Faried, but Noah walked it off. Bulls starters took major rest in the second half besides E’Twaun Moore.
Doug McDermott and Bobby Portis produced off the bench. McDermott poured in three three-pointers for 15 total points. Portis scored 10 points on 3-7 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds.
The Bulls played sloppy basketball as they committed 22 turnovers in the game. Portis led the team in turnovers with five.
The Bulls faced off with the 2015 seventh overall pick, Emmanuel Mudiay. The Bulls played tough defense all night on Mudiay as he struggled from field. Mudiay finished the night on 1-10 shooting for four points.
The Bulls will play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday at 7:00 PM CDT.
