Bulls fade down stretch to Nuggets, 110-107
That old “fast start leads to solid win” formula didn't work so well for the Bulls on Tuesday in Denver.
The first quarter was fine, as the Bulls ran out to a 31-19 advantage. With mostly subs on the floor at the start of the second quarter, the Nuggets turned the tables, completing a 24-0 run.
From that point, the Bulls played from behind most of the night.
The Bulls lost 110-107 despite 35 points from Jimmy Butler. Denver broke a 107-107 tie with 9.5 seconds on the clock when guard Will Barton drove to the basket and was slapped on the arm by Dwyane Wade.
Two free throws gave the Nuggets the lead.
On the other end, Wade took an inbounds pass, looked for Butler curling across the key, then tossed it out to Isaiah Canaan. The reserve guard was wide open, but his 3-point attempt fell short of the rim with 1.7 seconds left. The Bulls (9-6) have now lost 10 straight in the Mile High City and 16 of 17.
“It was actually called for Jimmy,” coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after the game. “They took away the first option, Jimmy slipping to the basket, they stayed underneath him. Isaiah was coming off on the crackback and was obviously wide open when he came off, but the play was for Jimmy.”
Butler tied the score at 107-107 by hitting a 3-pointer with 56 seconds left. On the previous Bulls possession, Butler drew a foul while shooting a 3-pointer and knocked down all 3 free throws.
The Bulls accomplished what they wanted in the first quarter, getting into the lane and hitting 13 of 21 shots. But the Nuggets are constructed differently than most teams. Their leading scorer, ex-DePaul star Wilson Chandler, comes off the bench. Then they have a rookie to watch in former Kentucky two guard Jamal Murray.
Murray had it going against the Bulls, scoring a career-high 24 points while hitting 9 of 13 shots from the field. Through three quarters, Murray led Denver to a 55-12 advantage in bench points.
There were a few interesting items for the road.
As a team-building activity, the Bulls did an Escape Room challenge on Monday in Denver, where teams of participants follow clues to try to find their way out of a locked room.
Butler gave an interesting answer when asked to compare himself to another player in history.
Butler chose Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, a close friend.
“Yeah, but he's physical,” Butler said. “So I want to be like Antonio, thank you.”
Finally, Dwyane Wade recalled his summer free agency, when Denver was one of the teams that bid for his services. Wade credited Butler for convincing him to return home to Chicago.
“If Jimmy doesn't reach out to me then I'm not coming to Chicago because I don't think Jimmy wants me here,” Wade told reporters at shootaround. “But Jimmy reaches out to me and says, ‘D, I want you to come.' It's a different ... that's simple right there. It's hard to change my mindset and everything.
“I cannot sit here and explain to anyone what it's like to be a free agent. And what it's like to have to make a decision about where you're going. And no one ever thought I would leave Miami. No one ever thought I would be in a Chicago Bulls jersey, but I am, so things happen.”
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