Chicago has been starting off strong every game and that has helped them get out to a 3-1 record on this road trip. They did it again against Denver, jumping out to a 9-2 lead, capped by a Butler 3-pointer, forcing Mike Malone into a timeout early.
The Bulls were trying things like ball movement and some amount of defense. It was working, and they extended out their lead over the course of the first quarter. Isaiah Canaan, Nikola Mirotic and Denzel Valentine were the first group off the bench. Butler and Robin Lopez stayed in for the entire quarter.