‘It’s only preseason basketball’ is what I will say before breaking down the Bulls’ second straight loss, this time against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
The Bulls were not at full strength, missing their All-Star Norman Powell for rest and Tobe Awaka due to knee soreness, and that did play a bit of a role in Chicago’s 133-128 loss.
But there were a ton of other positives to look at tonight, highlighted by Leonard Miller’s 26 points off the bench on incredible efficiency and more. Let’s get into it.
Takeaways from Bulls vs. Nuggets Preseason Game
Offensively, the Bulls were clicking in the first half. Four players with double-digit points in Buddy Hield (15 points), Matas Buzelis (12 points), Leonard Miller (12 points) and Jalen Smith (11 points). They led 68-59 at the half and at one point even had a 15-point lead. Their three-point shooting advantage over Denver was what really helped them build that lead, shooting 13 of 25 from three in the period while Denver managed just 5 of 18 from that range. Tiago’s MO in Portland was a three-point-heavy team, and tonight, we saw that from the Bulls. And they made it work even without Norman Powell in the lineup.9 up at the break.Buddy: 15 points (4-5 3FG)Matas: 12 points (5-7 FG)Lenny: 12 points (5-5 FG) pic.twitter.com/vBehtDmqIr
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 12, 2026 Star boy Caleb Wilson struggled to start the game but picked up his performance as the game progressed. To start with, he was playing a bit of a point-forward role, where his passes kept getting intercepted. He finished with 5 assists on the night, with 5 turnovers to go along with them. But once he started playing his own game and controlling his own offense, he got it going quickly. He was aggressive down the paint and made some momentum plays to boost his point total. Caleb finished with 17 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and a block. Not his best game of the preseason, but definitely a decent one.CALEB COMING THROUGH.@CHSN__ | @CalebWilson2025 pic.twitter.com/iD4ApjZu8B
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 12, 2026 Leonard Miller was the Bulls’ player of the game, and it wasn’t even close. If you hadn’t already fallen in love with his game late last season, his preseason performances will push you over the edge. Tonight, he finished with 26 points on 11/14 from the field, 4/6 from three and added 7 rebounds and 2 assists off the bench. His versatility and aggressiveness have really made me believe in small-ball lineups again because, man, he’s been amazing. There are two more games left in the preseason, and if Miller continues this form, he could easily become the Bulls’ sixth man in the rotation..@LeonardMi11er was on fire tonight in Denver ? t.co/Ca0gkrskZy pic.twitter.com/a4A13jha9P
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 12, 2026 Talking about the Bulls’ bench, they looked great tonight, outscoring the Nuggets 75-56. Hield and Miller definitely carried the scoring, but they also got good minutes from Noa, Orlando Robinson and even Jordan Hawkins. I will continue to say that the Bulls’ depth is severely underrated going into this season, and if Splitter wants to play a rotation of 10-11 guys, he has that on this team. Defensively, though, the Bulls leave a lot to be desired. It was always going to be a struggle fest trying to slow down the 3-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who finished with a 22-11-10 triple-double in just 26 minutes of play. But Aaron Gordon’s 25 and Cam Johnson’s 15 also seemed hard to defend. Splitter spoke pregame about having to double Jokic to guard him, and I thought Chicago did a good job limiting his assists in the first quarter. But once Jokic figured out the defense, everyone got fed. The Bulls have positional size, but until Nic Claxton, Zach Collins and Tobe Awaka return, they will continue to be undersized and get hunted in the paint. Noa Essengue deserves his own mention because this has to be the best game I’ve seen from him so far. He finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds (4 offensive), 2 assists and a block on 9 attempted shots. His biggest concern was always his passiveness, but tonight, that wasn’t the case. The nearly 7-footer realized he’s taller than most people on the court and used those physical tools to get his offense going, and for that, I will give him his flowers. Once he fully masters his size and aggressiveness, he will begin the development all of us have been hoping for from him.Noa with the put-back dunk ‼️@CHSN__ | @NoaEssengue pic.twitter.com/9R0CGtijeI
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 12, 2026 Tre Jones saw his first preseason action and was fine. He only logged 10 minutes, which I’m assuming was to give him time to recover, and did get 5 assists. He was a positive when he was on the floor, but I really did hope to see a bit more from him, at least his reliable slashing game. I’m hoping Dailyn Swain, who did not have a good game, picks up a lot from Tre’s ball handling this season, as the team is hoping he becomes a point forward. But Tre will need to get his own legs under him before he can start helping Dailyn. And finally, loved what I saw from Matas tonight, who showcased both an inside and an outside game, as opposed to when he just picks one or the other. Josh Giddey has continued to be a great facilitator, but outside of that, he doesn’t look as good as he did last season. I was hoping to see more in Powell’s absence, but again, it’s only preseason ball, so no need to overreact to anything mentioned so far. And Jalen Smith, who was preserved, still played good ball in his limited minutes. Can’t wait to see the starting five in a fuller capacity once the season begins.Two quick threes for Matas!@CHSN__ | @BuzelisMatas pic.twitter.com/8SOkpAvUFw
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 12, 2026Full Box Score
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