Review: Denver Nuggets obliterate the Chicago Bulls, 128-96

This one was a good old fashioned beat-down. The Nuggets are a high-scoring team and when they play at home they are doubly difficult to beat. And when they have it going like they did today, you might as well pack your bags.

The Denver Nuggets obliterated the Chicago Bulls by 32 points, winning 128-96. The Nuggets had five players in double figures, had a 46-26 advantage on the boards and most importantly shot a whooping 58.1% from the field, going 50 for 86 while the Bulls shot just 38 of 91 en route to 41.8% shooting.

“Not a lot of people (nationally) see us when we play. So more people wanted to step to the stage on a nationally televised stage, and we brought it tonight. People might not respect us as much because we’re not on TV as much like a Clippers, Lakers or Knicks. But today we made a statement on TNT, showing everybody – hey, pay attention,” said Kenneth Faried of the Nuggets.

How nasty was this beatdown? The 128 points were the most allowed by the Chicago Bulls this season. The 128 are the most allowed by the Bulls in the Tom Thibodeau era of the last three years. The previous record was 120. Even though the Bulls came in as the best road team in the NBA with 0.636 record on the road, winning in the Mile High city is not the easiest of things to do.

The Nuggets were led by Wilson Chandler who had 24 points on 8 for 9 shooting from the field and 5 for 5 from three point range. Kenneth Faried greeted the news of him participating in the dunk contest with a few rim rattlers to go with his 21 points and 12 rebounds. He shot 9 for 10 from the field. “I mean, I’m ecstatic about it, happy to go out there and showcase what I can do and excite the fans.” – said Faried. This is the first time since JR Smith dunked in 2009 that a Nugget will be in the Dunk contest. He is the sixth player in Nugget history to do so and will also be participating in the Rising Stars Challenge.

Ty Lawson spread the ball around well with 12 assists to go with his 16 points. His shooting mirrored his height, 5-11 from the field. The most staggering stat of all, Lawson finished with a +- stat of +40. “I just think Ty got everybody involved – the 12 assists are as impressive as the plus-40,” Nuggets coach George Karl said.

“Who is the best defense in the West? That’s the question I asked my team four days ago. We have to get serious about playing possessions and focusing on our intensity and just the basic fundamentals of playing an NBA game and a defensive game every night,” said Nuggets coach George Karl. And his team lived up to his expectations as they held the Bulls to 41.8% shooting.

The Bulls put up a strong front with five players scoring in double figures, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Daequan Cook led the way with 19 points off the bench on 6 for 16 shooting. Carlos Boozer chipped in with 18 points and 3 rebounds on 9 for 15 shooting. Boozer’s name is being bandied about in trade talks too, which may have affected his game. ‘‘That’s part of the business this time of year. I can’t worry about things that may or may not happen,’’ Boozer said.

Nate Robinson had 14 with 6 assists on 5 for 8 shooting. Rip Hamilton and Joakim Noah were no shows as both of them only made one field goal and shot a combined 2 for 12 from the field. Noah was coming off a three game absence due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Luol Deng had 11 points on 4 for 13 shooting but he did lead the Bulls in rebounds with 8 and had 8 assists.

The Chicago Bulls are now 29-20 for this season and are holding on to the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. The Nuggets improved to 32-18 and have now won 8 straight games. They haven’t lost one since January 18 and are closing in on the LA Clippers, who are 3rd in the West with a 35-16 record and have been stumbling without Chris Paul. The Clippers are 3 for 7 in their last 10 games and need to get their groove back along with Chris if they are to stave off the Nuggets. No team wants a piece of the Nuggets in the postseason.

The Bulls will play the Jazz tomorrow at 9 AM on Sony SIX. Check back later for a preview of that contest.

Here are the highlights from this game: