Jamal Murray’s jam was supposed to relieve his frustration. When it rimmed out, it only exacerbated it.
What was supposed to be a momentous night for Murray turned into a frustrating one as the Nuggets got pounded, 117-96, by the visiting Chicago Bulls. The loss snapped the Nuggets’ four-game winning streak, dropped them to 46-20 on the year, and stood as only the fifth home loss this season.
Murray, who finished just 4 for 15 from the field for 11 points, was eager to seize Denver’s all-time 3-point shooting mark. But after shooting only 1-of-7 from 3-point range, he’ll have to settle for tying Will Barton’s all-time mark of 804. The record will likely fall Friday at San Antonio.
It got so bad that by the fourth quarter, a raucous “Let’s go Bulls!” chant broke out at Ball Arena. That was after visiting Chicago fans showered Zach LaVine in applause for his game-high 29 points.
Nikola Jokic was uncharacteristically off. He shot just 7 of 16 for 18 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Aaron Gordon added 17 points.
The Nuggets’ defense let them down, allowing 66 points in the paint and conceding 18 points off turnovers. It was a frustrating, demoralizing loss for a team that’s been accustomed to dominance in Denver.
Denver’s halftime adjustment was more a recognition than anything tactical. The Nuggets started feeding Gordon in the post and let him impose himself against LaVine, who gave up significant size to Denver’s burly power forward. Call it revenge from a dunk contest between two sky-walkers from years ago.
After burying a quick 3-pointer, Gordon bruised his way to a handful of baskets inside. He finished the third quarter with 12 points, most of them coming through contact. But on the other side, Chicago exposed a porous Denver defense in transition and from outside the arc. LaVine showed off his aerial acrobatics, and the Nuggets fell behind by as many as 13 points. Denver responded in kind after Bruce Brown soared and screamed through a transition jam. But Chicago’s 36-point quarter gave the Nuggets plenty of ground to make up. They trailed 87-76 heading into the fourth quarter.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said the Nuggets knew exactly who they were getting when they drafted Murray in 2016. They just didn’t think they were going to get him.
“I go back to the night that we drafted him,” Malone said. “We were picking seven and he was third on our board. We didn’t think there was any chance in hell he drops to seven, but that’s the beauty of the draft, expect the unexpected. … We knew we were getting a guy, in one year at Kentucky who played on the ball, off the ball, and who was a prolific scorer.
“Yes, the NBA has become a 3-point centric league,” Malone continued. “I think Jamal, in seven years now, the fact that he’s about to become the all-time leading 3-point record-holder speaks to his efficiency, accuracy, and ability as a shooter. We all know that once Jamal sees one go in, he starts shooting into a very big basket.”
Murray finally knocked one down late in the first half to tie the franchise’s 3-point record but entered halftime with the weight of expectations still holding him down. As a team, Denver seemed almost distracted by his pursuit. The Nuggets’ 52-51 halftime lead was a lot smaller than the start of the game suggested it would be.
Denver opened with crisp, unselfish passing and prolific 3-point shooting. Jokic entered halftime with nine points and five assists. One of his buckets even came via dunk — a white whale within Jokic’s deep arsenal.
And while Murray searched for his rhythm behind the arc, the rest of his team found their stroke, shooting 8 for 18 from deep in the first half. Porter poured in a team-high 10 at the break.
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