How amazing was Chicago’s win over the Nuggets?
The The Chicago Bulls entered the Ball Arena exhausted and outmatchedbut Kevin Huerter still helped Chicago pull off one of the most incredible wins of the season against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. It shouldn’t have been close. Not after a doubleheader loss to the Jazz the night before. Not at altitude. Not with the Nuggets having their usual home dominance. Still, the Bulls found a different gear when everything seemed to be losing the schedule.
The the numbers tell the story better than any punchline. The Nuggets’ starters destroyed the Bulls’ unit, posting a +14.1 net rating while in complete control. Their bench, however, collapsed to an incredible -17.1. The 31.2-point margin between the groups was the largest of any starting lineup yet to lose a game this season. It’s the kind of statistical division that ends games early. Instead, she opened the door wide enough for the Bulls to slip through.
A statistical oddity that is even stranger in context for the Bulls
According to play-by-play data tracking through 1996-97, this outcome has happened only nine times. Nine in almost three decades. And the The Bulls have now pulled off two of those this year alone, the other being their comeback against the Sixers. It doesn’t happen by accident. That’s what happens when a team refuses to quit, even when its starters have had the second-worst performance of any group this season.
Chicago relied on timely stops, height-defying legs and more composure than anyone expected on a night built for Denver. Jokic, however, had his usual control over the pace. Huerter found calm looks. For once, none of that mattered The Nuggets’ bench slid into chaos, and the Bulls kept hitting.
And after such a bizarre victory, fans can’t help but wonder: if the Bulls can steal games like this, what ceiling do they really have?
2025-11-18 17:21:00
