Josh Giddey posted 21 points and 14 rebounds, Ayo Dosunmu also finished with 21 points, and the visiting Chicago Bulls held on to beat the Denver Nuggets 130-127 on Monday night.
Kevin Huerter scored 20 points, Jalen Smith added 16, Jevon Carter contributed 15 and Matas Buzelis rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 for Chicago, which snapped a five-game skid.
The Bulls, who lost in double overtime in Utah on Sunday night, played without Coby White, who was out due to injury management. They held a 66-9 advantage in bench scoring.
Nikola Jokic recorded his eighth triple-double of the season with 36 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists but missed a potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer. Jamal Murray finished with 34 points and 11 rebounds, Aaron Gordon scored 24 points, and Cam Johnson returned to the lineup after missing one game with 19 points.
Chicago led 110-98 on Dosunmu’s floater early in the fourth when Murray hit a 3-pointer, converted a three-point play and made two free throws to cut the deficit to four. Johnson drained a 3-pointer to cut the Bulls’ lead to one and later Murray hit a driving layup to give the Nuggets a 117-116 lead with 2:19 to play.
Giddey answered for the Bulls but, Jokic hit his first shot from deep to put Denver in front 120-118. Huerter drained a 3-pointer on the following possession, and a steal and dunk gave the Bulls a 123-120 lead with 1:05 left. Jokic hit a fadeaway but Nikola Vucevic drained a 25-footer to extend the lead to 126-122.
The Bulls hit four free throws in the final 11 seconds to seal it and end the Nuggets’ seven-game winning streak.
The game was tied at 83 with 4:47 left in the third quarter when Chicago got hot. Carter hit a 3-pointer, Dosunmu scored on a finger roll and Smith converted a three-point play to give the Bulls a 10-point lead, and they went into the fourth leading 103-93.
Chicago led 50-32 led midway through the second but Denver later outscored the Bulls 24-6 and ultimately grabbed a 64-63 halftime lead.
