Seven Nuggets finish in double figures as Denver runs past Chicago 135-102

With their playoff hopes slipping away after dropping the first two games of a season-deciding seven-game road trip, the Denver Nuggets needed a confidence-boosting win. Enter the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls, who entered Wednesday’s contest with the eighth-worst record in the league and losers of two straight, provided the medication to Denver’s ailing psyche.

Denver shredded Chicago’s 24th-ranked defense for 135 points and shot a pristine 61 percent from the field and 20-35 (57.1 percent) from three. The Nuggets ran past the Bulls 135-102 to break their two-game slide.

After a 34-point outing 48 hours earlier in Miami, Nikola Jokic finished with 21 points on 9-11 shooting, seven rebounds and five assists. In front of a strong Serbian contingent cheering him along at the United Center, Jokic sunk his first seven baskets and overwhelmed Chicago’s bigs all night. He exited the game for good with 4:54 remaining in the third.

In total, seven Nuggets players scored in double-figures. Paul Millsap scored 11-straight with Jokic on the bench at the end of the first quarter and finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists and five steals. Wilson Chandler, who’s shooting 41 percent from three since the All-Star break scored 19 points and hit five of his seven three-point attempts. Chandler was also a team-high plus-37 Wednesday night.

Will Barton added 16 points on a clean 7-9 shooting and Denver’s fifth starter, Jamal Murray, finished with 16 points (5-14 FG’s), five rebounds and seven assists. Devin Harris scored 14 points — the most he’s scored in a Nuggets’ jersey. Trey Lyles added 10 points.

Every Nuggets’ player saw the floor except for Kenneth Faried, who recorded his 20th straight DNP-CD.

After Chicago started the game 4-4 from three-point range, Denver ran off a 21-9 run to take a 39-25 lead into the second quarter. Denver scored 38 more over the game’s next 12 minutes to take a 77-46 lead to the break. Denver broke the 100-point barrier with more than three minutes left in the third quarter.

But it wasn’t the prettiest victory of the season. Five turnovers, which are sure to show up on Nuggets coach Michael Malone’s film review Thursday morning, on five straight possessions in the second quarter prevented Denver from breaking 80 or even 90 points in tonight’s first half. The Nuggets also let their foot off the gas a bit in the fourth quarter allowing a 14-4 Bulls run when the game was already out of reach.

Cristiano Felicio scored a team-high 16 points for the Bulls. Forward Bobby Portis chipped in 15 points off Chicago’s bench.

The Nuggets (39-33) visit the Wizards (40-30) on Friday.