Jimmy Butler and the Chicago Bulls strolled into the Mile High City looking to secure a winning Circus Trip, but that will have to wait with their 110-107 loss to the Nuggets on Tuesday.
Coming off Sunday’s win against the ultra young Los Angeles Lakers the Bulls got off to yet another hot start, and led 31-19 after the first quarter. Mike Malone’s Nuggets were 5-8 heading into tonight, having managed only two wins in six tries at home. The Bulls hadn’t won in the Pepsi Center in their last nine games, and tonight’s loss makes it a full decade of futility in Denver.
Butler scored the first points for the Bulls and he didn’t look back, but the rest of the team did as they looked sloppy and out of sorts most of the evening.
Taj Gibson and Dwyane Wade both contributed in the first quarter as Chicago shot 65 percent from the field, including 4-of-4 from the 3-point line. The Bulls led 31-19.
The second quarter was a completely different story as the Nuggets blew the second unit out of the water, starting the quarter on a 22-0 run. Kentucky rookie Jamal Murray fueled the run, scoring 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting. Fred Hoiberg had finally seen enough and removed some of the bench unit. Wade ended the Nuggets’ run with a 3-pointer, but Bulls still trailed 34-41.
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Butler made amazing plays back-to-back, and Nikola Mirotic chipped in to help the Bulls crawl back into the game. The Nuggets sagged off Rajon Rondo completely, begging him to shoot. And he obliged making a few mid range jumpers. Wade ended the half on a nice drive to the hoop, finishing at the rim with a vintage spinning layup to tie the game 60-60.
The third quarter saw Robin Lopez hit three shots early. But the Bulls continued their poor defense. Murray continued his stellar play attacking the Bulls every chance he got. Butler tried to bail his teammates out to close the quarter, but the Nuggets still led.
The last couple minutes of the fourth quarter were exciting. Emmanuel Mudiay fouled Butler on a 3-point try. Lopez was called for a questionable foul that helped put the Nuggets up by three. But Butler answered with a clutch fadeaway 3-pointer to tie the game with under a minute to play. Then Wade sent another Nugget to the free throw line. Down two with under 20 seconds to play, Hoiberg drew up a play that can’t have ended how it was supposed to, as Isaiah Canaan came off the bench, and then a screen to miss a contested 3-point shot.
With the loss to the Nuggets the Bulls drop to 9-6, but they still sit in fourth place in the East.
Now for three takeaways from Denver.