4 things we learned from the Chicago Bulls’ 131-113 preseason win over the Denver Nuggets, including Patrick Williams moving to a reserve role

The Chicago Bulls delivered a confidence-boosting win Friday in their second preseason game of the season, beating the Denver Nuggets 131-113 at the United Center.

The victory helped balance a sluggish offensive start in Tuesday’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Bulls shot 60.2% on Friday, led by a 22-point performance from DeMar DeRozan.

Here are four things we learned from the win.

Coach Billy Donovan juggled the starting lineup, replacing third-year forward Patrick Williams with Javonte Green. The veteran stood out immediately, scoring 15 points and going 3-for-3 from 3-point range.

Green is a high-motor, high-intensity forward who rarely hits the brakes as he barrels toward the basket. Despite standing 2 inches shorter than Williams, Green’s timing and aggressiveness on those takes allow him to outplay his size. He showcased his athleticism with a high-flying dunk in the first half and pushed the pace in transition.

Green’s brazen energy set the bar for Williams, who improved with an 11-point performance but still showed signs of timidity.

Donovan said the move wasn’t permanent or reflective of a change in the depth chart at the position.

“I don’t look at all at Patrick coming off the bench as a demotion,” Donovan said.

Any positive from Friday’s win should be taken with a grain of salt because of the absence of the most important player on the Nuggets roster: Jokić.

Jokić did not travel to Chicago after tweaking his right wrist in the Nuggets preseason opener Monday, although an MRI scan showed “nothing sinister,” according to a report. The Nuggets are a fundamentally different team without their four-time All-Star and two-time NBA MVP.

Jokić would have offered a test for many weaknesses the Bulls hope to fix before the regular season: spacing, rim protection and physicality in the paint. The center also would have offered another challenge for Nikola Vučević and Williams.

Still, the Bulls cleared the lowest hurdle in Jokić’s absence by beating the Nuggets by a comfortable margin.

After underwhelming preseason debuts at the United Center, Dragić and Drummond delivered more consistent performances Friday to lead the reserves.

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Dragić shrugged off a dismal preseason debut to score 10 points. Drummond added four points and five rebounds. The pair also combined for four assists.

Dragić’s improvement boosted the guard group, which rotated smoothly among Dragić, Dosunmu and Alex Caruso. Coby White scored 15 points after an early exit from Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans, shooting 2-for-4 from 3-point range.

The Bulls bench was effective as a result, shooting 24-for-39.

Although the bench unit is key in close games, the Bulls need to be able to rely the most on their Big 3: DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Vučević. The win Friday provided another confirmation that all three are prepared to match their form from last season.

DeRozan emphatically showed he’s already entering midseason form, scoring 19 points before halftime and 22 total before sitting out the majority of the second half.

Vučević went 2-for-4 from 3-point range while scoring 14 points, continuing to show confidence in the paint while excelling in the two-man game with LaVine.

LaVine appears to have returned to form after undergoing a knee operation in the offseason, bringing a bounce to the paint as he danced around defenders and briefly ran the point. He scored seven points on 3-of-8 shooting and added six assists.