Shorthanded Bulls downed in Denver
Sometimes you have to crawl off the mat and keep fighting. Other times, you have to climb out of the portable wheelchair and shoot free throws.
Jimmy Butler provided that inspirational moment late in the second half in Denver, before leaving the game with a left knee sprain. Pau Gasol didn't suit up Friday because of a left hand sprain.
With their top two scorers sidelined, the Bulls gave a good effort, leading by 18 points with a minute left in the third quarter. But the Nuggets dominated the fourth and came back to win 115-110 at the Pepsi Center.
The Bulls have now lost 15 of their last 16 trips to Denver, including nine in a row. They dropped to 2-3 on the ice show road trip with two games left.
Denver's 42-21 advantage in the fourth quarter was the difference in the game. But the Bulls have reason to worry about Butler's health.
"The ligament seems stable," coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after the game. "He'll get an MRI (Saturday in Minnesota) and we'll know a lot more after that. He's sore. We've got to be prepared to play without Jimmy for a time, but we don't want to jump to any conclusions."
Butler had a big first half, scoring 19 points while driving to the basket at will. But with 1:06 left in the second quarter, he went to the rim and was fouled by Denver big man Joffrey Lauvergne. It wasn't a particularly hard foul, but Lauvergne is a big body. When he knocked Butler off-balance, the Bulls' all-star hit the floor hard.
Rough landings are usually something Butler shakes off, but this time he stayed on the ground, clutching his left knee. Butler was loaded onto a sort of portable wheelchair, then decided to get out, limp to the foul line and shoot his 2 free throws. Butler made 1 of 2 shots, the Bulls quickly fouled and Butler hopped back to the wheelchair.
During halftime, Butler emerged from the training room walking under his own power, but with a large ice bag attached to his left knee.
The Bulls (27-22) had the short-handed solution for a while. Derrick Rose produced 30 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. The Bulls got nice contributions from Doug McDermott (15 points) and Bobby Portis (8 points, 7 rebounds) and pulled ahead 89-71 with 34 seconds left in the third.
The Nuggets chipped away at the lead, eventually tying the score at 105-105 with 2:56 left. The Bulls got it back when Gasol fill-in Cameron Bairstow knocked down a jumper off a pass from Rose. A Taj Gibson free throw made it a 3-point lead with 1:41 remaining.
Denver rookie Emmanuel Mudiay hit a driving lay in while fouled, but missed the potential tying free throw. Then while Rose missed two jumpers, Danilo Gallinari had a jumper bounce off the front rim and in for the go-ahead basket with 51.2 seconds left. With 21.5 seconds on the clock, Mudiay hit the first of two free throws and Kenneth Faried tipped in the miss to put Denver in command.
THe Nuggets attempted 44 free throws, a season-high for a Bulls' opponent.
"You've got to learn from this one," Hoiberg said. "We've got another one tomorrow. We've got to bounce back. We did some good things. The fourth killed us."
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Bulls scouting report
Bulls vs. Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center, 7 tonight
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: ESPN 1000-AM
Outlook: Minnesota's collection of young talent has been impressive. The team hasn't been, going just 4-20 since Dec. 21. Second-year SF Andrew Wiggins is the top scorer at 20.8 ppg. C Karl Anthony Towns has a good chance to win rookie of the year, averaging 16.5 points and 9.9 rebounds. Dunk contest champ Zach LaVine is showing signs, averaging 12.8 ppg., while PG Ricky Rubio is at 8.7 assists. C Kevin Garnett (knee), SG Kevin Martin (wrist) and C Nikola Pekovic (foot) have all missed games recently. The Bulls have won six in a row at Minnesota, but lost to the Timberwolves 102-93 back on Nov. 7 at the UC. That was the night the Bulls went scoreless in overtime. Wiggins scored 31 points in that one.
Next: Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena on Monday, 6 p.m.
- Mike McGraw