Nuggets 97, Bulls 87
Jordan Hamilton scored 17 points and J.J. Hickson added 14 points and nine rebounds as host Denver halted Chicago’s five-game winning streak.
Kenneth Faried had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Randy Foye scored 12 points as the Nuggets beat the Bulls at home for the 13th time in the last 14 meetings. Ty Lawson contributed 10 points and seven assists for Denver, which halted a two-game skid.
Derrick Rose had 19 points and Carlos Boozer added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago, which shot just 38.8 percent from the field. Mike Dunleavy scored 15 points and Joakim Noah had 11 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
The Nuggets had a 70-62 edge entering the final quarter and Nate Robinson – a playoff hero for the Bulls last season – exploded for seven points in a 25-second span and Hamilton followed with back-to-back 3-pointers to give Denver a 21-point lead. Chicago whittled its deficit to 94-83 with 3:31 left but Robinson answered with a basket and the Nuggets held off the charge.
Denver had a 50-48 lead at the break before back-to-back 3-pointers by Foye made it a seven-point margin early in the third quarter. The Nuggets led by nine after Darrell Arthur’s basket with 4:07 left in the stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Robinson was just 3-of-13 from the field and scored 10 of his 11 points in the final quarter. … Chicago F Luol Deng had 13 rebounds as the Bulls owned a 58-48 advantage on the boards. … Denver had a 49-21 edge in bench points.