CHICAGO – It was about midway through the first quarter when the game took a turn that led the Nuggets to one of their easiest wins of the season.
Paul Zipser had just made a 3-point shot. Nuggets coach Michael Malone called a timeout. There was 7:32 left in the period, and the Bulls had pulled within one, at 15-14, on Zipser’s three.
And then, that was it.
The Nuggets outscored Chicago 24-11 the rest of the quarter, and never looked back. Not only did they not look back, they built a lead that rose to as many as 46 points in a 135-102 win at the United Airlines Center.