Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas talked to reporters for the first time in the regular season ahead of Monday’s showdown against his former team, the Nuggets. Karnisovas addressed the upcoming trade deadline, Zach Lavine, Lauri Markkanen and Billy Donovan, among other things, and then he settled in to watch his new team play another competitive game against a Western Conference playoff contender.
Unfortunately, the Bulls once again fell short, with Nikola Jokic’s 39 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists proving to be too much in a 118-112 defeat. Jokic scored 17 of his points in the fourth quarter, saving the Nuggets’ ass after it looked like they were on the verge of a total collapse.