Nuggets 108, Bulls 91
NUGGETS 108, BULLS 91: Ty Lawson had 27 points and nine rebounds and Arron Afflalo added 22 points as Denver cruised past host Chicago.
Al Harrington added 17 points and Andre Miller had 12 points and 10 assists as the Nuggets snapped a two-game losing streak.
C.J. Watson had 17 points and eight assists and John Lucas also scored 17 points for the Bulls, who were without injured Derrick Rose (groin) for the seventh consecutive contest.
Chicago connected on 13 of 20 3-point attempts but the long-range proficiency couldn’t prevent the Nuggets from improving to 1-2 on their seven-game road trip.
Denver led 54-52 at halftime and took control by scoring the first 10 points of the second half. The lead grew to 79-63 on Afflalo’s jumper with 2:09 left in the quarter.
The Bulls pulled with 89-80 on a 3-pointer by Lucas with 8:53 to play before Wilson Chandler hit a short jump shot to start a 13-3 spurt that increased the bulge to a game-high 19 points with under five minutes remaining.
JaVale McGee added 10 points and eight rebounds for Denver, which had a 45-32 rebounding advantage.
Kyle Korver and Carlos Boozer added 14 points apiece for Chicago.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Lawson has topped 20 points 11 times this season. … Lucas had five 3-pointers and Korver was 4 for 4 from 3-point range. … The Nuggets were 8 of 16 from 3-point range. … Chicago is 12-5 when Rose sits out.