The Denver Nuggets defeated the Chicago Bulls, 135-105, on Thursday at Pepsi Center.

It appears as though the Nuggets (30-14) had some pent up anger and energy after they laid an egg at home Tuesday against the Warriors. While the Bulls (10-35) jumped out to a two-point after the first 12 minutes, it was all Denver after that. The Nuggets went on to outscore the Bulls in the second and third quarters by a total of 32 points, and it ended up being smooth sailing for the home team. Seven players scored in double figures for them and 11 of the 12 players who saw the floor scored at least three points. Jamal Murray led the way, shooting 7-of-11 from behind the arc en route to scoring a team-high 25 points in 29 minutes, while likely All-Star Nikola Jokic posted a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds to go along with eight assists in 25 minutes. Gary Harris made his return after a five-game absence due to a hamstring injury, and while he played just 19 minutes as a reserve, he still managed to score 14 points.

As for the Bulls, it was their eighth loss in a row as their record continues to tank. It wasn't a horrible offensive night for Chicago, as they shot 35.7 percent from behind the arc and 47.3 percent from the field overall, but they had no answer for the Nuggets on defense. The 135 points they gave up was the second highest opponent total this season for Chicago, with the 146 points they gave up to Golden State last week serving as the highest. Lauri Markkanen did score a game-high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds in just 25 minutes, but the other four Bulls starters would combine to score just 36 minutes. Robin Lopez and Jabari Parker were both solid off the bench, however, scoring 17 and 15 points, respectively.