Anthony scores 30 in Nuggets' win over Bulls
DENVER - The Bulls had the schedule in their favor Saturday against Denver, but the Nuggets somehow managed to turn the tables in the tired-legs category.
The visitors led by as many as 14 points in the first half and still were ahead in the final minute of the third quarter.
But Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith heated up from the outside, and the Nuggets buried the Bulls in the fourth quarter, winning 112-93 at the Pepsi Center.
"It's tough because we played so hard and we gave it away in the fourth quarter," Bulls forward Luol Deng said. "They're a big home team, we know that. But when we get a lead like that, we've got to be smart and make better plays."
The Nuggets had to make a long flight back from Los Angeles late Friday after losing to the Clippers, then scored a season-low 14 points in the first quarter against the Bulls.
By halftime, Denver (9-4) still was shooting just 38.1 percent from the field, and the Bulls seemed to have every chance to pull out a second victory on the circus road trip.
But the fourth quarter was just a disaster, with the Bulls being outscored 37-22. The Nuggets knocked down 16 of 24 shots in the decisive final 12 minutes, and the Bulls seemed to give up on trying to play any defense.
"I don't know. They hit a couple big-time shots," forward Taj Gibson said. "Smith, he just comes down and throws up a shot, then 'Melo kind of clicked in. Once 'Melo and them started getting confidence from long range, it was pretty tough."
"I thought our energy, our effort, the physical part of the game - we were not near the level we need to be at," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Give them credit, but I'm not pleased at all with the way we finished that game.
"I thought our transition defense in the second half was very disappointing."
The Bulls (6-6) gave up 100 points just once in their first 10 games but now have done it twice in a row against the Lakers and the Nuggets.
The good news for the Bulls was another strong game by Derrick Rose. He scored a season-high 28 points, hitting 11 of 20 shots from the field. He did pile up 5 turnovers, however.
Deng (22 points) also was pretty good, while Gibson grabbed 12 rebounds. Joakim Noah's run of six straight double-doubles finally ended when he finished with 10 points and 8 boards. John Salmons had another rough night, hitting 2 of 11 shots for 5 points.
"In the first half, first quarter, we made it tough for them," Deng said. "Our defense got us going. Once it flipped, it affected our offense."
The Bulls seemed to be in good shape when Rose's short runner gave them a 71-70 lead with 53 seconds left in the third quarter. Then in a sign of things to come, Anthony (30 points) hit a turnaround jumper and Smith drained a 3-pointer to give the Nuggets a 75-71 edge at the end of three.
That's about the time when the Bulls stopped playing. Smith, who spent a few weeks as a member of the Bulls in the summer of 2006, knocked down 2 more 3-pointers and suddenly the crowd was alive and Denver led 89-77 with 8:20 remaining. Smith scored 15 of his 19 points in the final 12:08.
<p class=factboxtext12col><b>Mike McGraw's game tracker</b></p> <p class=factboxtext12col><b>Nuggets 112, Bulls 93</b></p> <p class=factboxtext12col>Doing the late fade: The Bulls actually controlled this game for most of the first three quarters, then were buried in the fourth 37-22. Carmelo Anthony (30 points) and shooting guard J.R. Smith (19 points) got hot from outside, and the Bulls seemed to give up on playing any defense.</p> <p class=factboxtext12col>Rose keeps it up: Derrick Rose followed up his strong second half against the Lakers on Thursday by posting a season-high 28 points at Denver. He did have 5 turnovers, though.</p> <p class=factboxtext12col>Streak is over: Joakim Noah's run of six straight double-doubles ended when he finished with 10 points and 8 boards. Rookie Taj Gibson led the Bulls in rebounds for the first time with 12.</p>