Jokić Dropped a Triple-Double Before the Season Even Started. Chicago Still Made It Interesting.

Here's a game we hadn't covered from Sunday, October 11, and we're backfilling it rather than pretending it happened today. Denver beat Chicago 133–128, and Nikola Jokić casually put up 22 points, 11 boards and 10 assists in about 26 minutes. Yup. A preseason triple-double.

Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets with 25 points and six rebounds. Chicago got a strong rookie performance from Caleb Wilson, who scored 17 with four rebounds and five assists. Leonard Miller led the Bulls in scoring with 26.

Chicago had Denver uncomfortable at halftime

The Bulls led 68–59 at the break. Wilson capped his half with a buzzer-beater, and Chicago had the game where it wanted it. Then Denver dropped 40 points in the third quarter while holding Chicago to 26. That's how a nine-point deficit flipped.

The Nuggets didn't exactly put the Bulls away quietly, but they controlled the finish enough to hold on for a five-point win.

My take

We've seen Jokić do so many ridiculous things that a triple-double starts sounding ordinary. It's not. The difference is he can have eleven rebounds and ten assists without the game ever looking like he's forcing anything.

And I'm giving Chicago some credit here. They didn't fold after Denver's third-quarter run, and Wilson was competitive against one of the most established frontcourts in basketball. Don't confuse a preseason loss with a worthless night for a rookie.

The bigger lesson: the Nuggets know where the offense goes when things get ugly, and Chicago is still learning who can handle those moments. That's why we cover even the games we missed.