The Nuggets finally came back down to earth on Monday night after an incredible 7-game winning streak, falling at home to the Bulls, 130-127. They were overdue for a loss, but it was tough to see the defense and bench play collapse, since those have been such strong elements of the team to start the season.
Denver’s revamped bench has been a major boon for both sides of the ball, as it has been one of the best reserve units in the league. But that wasn’t the case at all on Monday as Chicago’s bench dominated the game, outscoring the Nuggets’ bench, 66-9.
Part of that stems from the injury to Christian Braun that forced Peyton Watson into the starting lineup, but still, they’ve been getting solid contributions from Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas, and others. That production dried up on Monday night, and the Nuggets’ backups weren’t able to bail out the starters.
The other issue was the defense, which has been surprisingly excellent this season. The Nuggets came in with the second-best defensive rating in the league, allowing just over 109 points per 100 possessions, but they couldn’t hold the fort against the Bulls.
Chicago found easy offense all night, shooting it well, pouring in 19 threes, dishing out 31 assists, scoring 50 points in the paint, 23 fast-break points, and 15 points off turnovers. They were getting whatever they wanted all night, with little resistance, en route to 130 points and a victory in Denver.
Nuggets let down by defense and bench
It was tough to watch the Nuggets falter in this way, but they’ve earned some grace with their early-season play. Expecting the team to have an elite bench and defense was always going to be a massive ask, and so far, they’ve more than delivered.
It’s not going to be perfect, and there are going to be some off nights, like Monday, but overall, the defense and bench have been pleasant surprises. They don’t need to be elite in those categories to win a title; they just need to be improved, consistent, and reliable.
They’ve proven that they are capable of it; now they just need to hammer home the consistency. The Bulls deserve a lot of credit; they played well and shot the lights out. And the Nuggets deserve a pass after their start.
But this needs to be a blip on the radar. Regular season letdowns happen all the time, but now the Nuggets need to lock back in and make sure the bench and defense are legitimate.