Bulls done in by late-game 18-2 Nuggets' run
DENVER - Tina Turner may not have needed another hero, but the Bulls would gladly accept additional contributions to this season's "Derrick Rose Show."
It looked like Ben Gordon and Drew Gooden would deliver in Denver on Sunday, but some miserable defense down the stretch led to a game-ending 18-2 run for the home team as the Nuggets pulled away for a 114-101 victory.
"I just think we kind of got rattled," Gooden said. "Defensively, we gave up too many easy baskets down the stretch. We have to get stops in the crunch time."
Despite sending Denver to the foul line 42 times and allowing the Nuggets to shoot 54 percent from the field, the Bulls (6-8) managed to hold the lead a few times in the fourth quarter.
The visitors went ahead 99-96 with 5:13 left when Lindsey Hunter knocked down a 3-pointer, but the Bulls gave it all back with some horrible execution. After Kenyon Martin hit 1 of 2 free throws, the Bulls couldn't corral the rebound and on the ensuing possession, Carmelo Anthony knocked down a 3-pointer to put Denver back ahead by a point.
Following a Bulls miss, no one bothered to guard Anthony, resulting in an uncontested dunk. On the next trip, a simple pick and roll resulted in an open lane drive for Chauncey Billups, giving the Nuggets a 104-99 lead with 3:42 left.
"We had a lot of mismatches out there toward the end, and I think we kind of slipped up on a couple of assignments and they exploited it," Gordon said.
"We've just got to get used to scrambling when we have that small lineup out there. It's definitely not every man for himself. We've got to cover for each other. But when the team gets the ball at the front of the rim, there's not much you can do."
Things never got any better for the Bulls. Billups hit a jumper, then Gordon lost the ball near midcourt, resulting in a fastbreak dunk and 3-point play by Martin that capped a 13-0 run and made it 109-99 with 2:52 remaining.
The Nuggets (9-5), 8-2 since adding Billups from the Pistons in a trade for Allen Iverson, were led by Martin with 26 points. He hit all 10 of his field-goal attempts, while Anthony, Billups and Nene each scored 21.
Gordon hit 5 of 7 shots from 3-point range and led the Bulls with 28 points, while Gooden added 21. Rose turned in a decent game, with 15 points and 6 assists. He did most of his scoring in the first half as Denver trapped Rose relentlessly in the second half the moment he crossed midcourt.
"They changed their coverage in the second half, so I had nothing to do but pass the ball," Rose said. "We had them. You could tell we're not there yet. We're supposed to ice the games with a couple of plays there."
After trailing by as many as 13 points in the second quarter, the Bulls took an 83-77 lead late in the third. Gordon had a 5-point possession by hitting a technical free throw, then burying a 3-pointer while getting tackled by Martin. Backup center Aaron Gray provided a boost with 8 points in the third quarter.
The Bulls are back in action tonight at Utah, the fifth stop on the seven-game circus road trip.