A 15-Point Hole, Reserves Closed What the Starters Opened
Denver erased a 15-point deficit by winning the third quarter outright, then finished the game with a five-man reserve unit instead of any of its four leading scorers.
Denver beat Chicago 133-128 at home after trailing by as many as 15, turning the game with a 40-26 third quarter. Ryan Nembhard and Cam Whitmore split four free throws in the final 23 seconds to protect a lead that DaRon Holmes II, Julian Strawther and Bryce Hopkins built in the fourth quarter.
The third quarter flipped it
Chicago led by as many as 15 and still led 68-59 at the half. Denver's response was total: a 40-26 third quarter turned a nine-point deficit into a five-point edge, 99-94, entering the fourth. From there neither team pulled away — 11 lead changes and 13 ties in all — and the final period was scored even, 34-34, before Denver held on.
Who closed, and who didn't
By the last five minutes, none of Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon or Cameron Johnson was in the game. Adelman closed with Bryce Hopkins, Cam Whitmore, DaRon Holmes II, Ryan Nembhard and Trevon Brazile — the same group, plus Julian Strawther's fourth-quarter burst, that erased the margin Chicago built. With 21 seconds left and the lead at three, Nembhard split a pair of free throws; Whitmore made both of his to push it back to five before a Chicago turnover ended it.
Grades
Aaron Gordon: A-. Twenty-five points on 9-of-12 shooting, a plus-8, and no sign of the health questions that shadowed him into camp. Nikola Jokic: A. A triple-double — 22 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists — in just 27 minutes, with four turnovers the only blemish. Cameron Johnson: B+. Fifteen points on 5-of-7 shooting, 4-of-5 from three, a plus-8 in his new starting role. DeMar DeRozan: incomplete. A minus-10 in nine minutes is too small a sample to grade.
What it does and doesn't change
Nothing here touches a standings race that doesn't exist yet; this was an exhibition, and the final score banks no wins once October 22 arrives. What it does show: Denver can survive a 15-point hole without its best four players finishing the job, and the bench group that closed it has a case for real minutes once the games matter. Next up is the Clippers in three days, with Denver rested on four days off while Chicago arrives on one.
Who led the Nuggets in the win over the Bulls?
Aaron Gordon scored a team-high 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting, and Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Did Denver's starters finish the game against Chicago?
No. David Adelman closed with a reserve lineup of Bryce Hopkins, Cam Whitmore, DaRon Holmes II, Ryan Nembhard and Trevon Brazile, with none of Jokic, Murray, Gordon or Johnson in the game in the final minutes.
