Ball Arena got rowdy Friday night, inspiring hope that Denver might be a basketball city after all.
It just wasn’t clear whose basketball city, after Bulls fans invaded Denver and left with a satisfying 114-108 win.
“I wasn’t sure if we were at the United Center or Ball Arena,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after the game.
Playing without MVP Nikola Jokic, who missed Friday’s game with a wrist injury, the Nuggets scrapped and clawed to give the Bulls everything they had.
Aaron Gordon erupted for 28 points, and Will Barton added 23. Barton’s corner 3-pointer with :29 seconds remaining momentarily cut the deficit to 110-108, but the Nuggets fell to an onslaught from Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.
LaVine poured in 12 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, even, at one point, trading baskets with Denver’s reserve energizer Facu Campazzo.
The feisty Argentinian poured in 16 points and four 3-pointers off the bench, but it wasn’t enough.
“Loved how hard we played,” Malone said. “It (stinks) to lose three games in a row, but I like the group that was out there representing this city.”
Chicago pounded the paint for 50 points and owned an 18-8 advantage on second-chance opportunities.
It was Chicago’s first win in Denver since February of 2006.
The Nuggets did what they could with who they had. Now 9-7 on the season, it was Denver’s third consecutive loss. They’ll attempt to snap the streak Sunday at Phoenix.
Clad in a sharp tan suit, Jokic watched from the sidelines, unable to physically help his squad. But Jokic, along with Jamal Murray, were so engaged, you could’ve mistaken the duo for assistant coaches. Both shouted defensive coverages, bantered with officials and made an impact from the bench.
For a few disconcerting minutes in the third quarter, energy from Bulls fans threatened to overtake Ball Arena. Emboldened by defensive stands by Alex Caruso and thunderous jams from LaVine and Derrick Jones Jr., cheers rained down in favor of the visiting team. The Bulls stretched their lead to 12 before the Nuggets responded.
Back-to-back 3-pointers from P.J. Dozier and Bones Hyland gave Denver life and the crowd swayed back in the Nuggets’ direction. But the Bulls trekked down another second-chance opportunity with two seconds left in the third and capitalized on a deflating 3-pointer. After hanging 35 points in the quarter, Chicago held an 88-78 lead going into the fourth.
As ugly as Thursday night’s loss to Philadelphia was, Malone didn’t want to dwell on the defeat with the Bulls on deck. He immediately turned the page to focus on Chicago’s new-and-improved personnel.
“All I can hope for (Friday) is that when we walk out of here, we can hold our heads high with how we competed, and we couldn’t do that (Thursday),” Malone said before the game. “That was probably the most bothersome thing about last night’s game. It wasn’t that we lost. It was the way in which we lost.”
Malone’s respect for what the Bulls, led by former Nuggets GM Arturas Karnisovas, have built ran deep.
“I ran into (Bulls coach) Billy Donovan in Vegas during Summer League,” Malone said. “I love Billy. We’re from the same neighborhood back in New York years ago. He said, ‘Arturas says, yeah, now it’s all on you, Billy. I got you the players, now you gotta win.’ I love Arturas, his family. He’s doing a hell of a job in Chicago.”
Malone got his wish. The Nuggets played the first half Friday night with a refreshing energy and purpose and entered halftime down just 53-52.
Led by the offensive playmaking of Barton and Gordon, who each had 13 points in the first half, the Nuggets kept even with Chicago’s firepower. Barton registered one highlight-reel and-one finish and Gordon leaned heavily on his physicality to establish a presence inside.
Though LaVine found his creases, and the Bulls’ bench enjoyed a healthy 20-8 advantage early, the Nuggets fought defensively to keep it close.
"behind" - Google News
November 20, 2021 at 11:44AM
https://ift.tt/3qTmrLn
Bulls hand Nuggets third consecutive loss behind Zach LaVine’s eruption - The Denver Post
"behind" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YqUhZP
https://ift.tt/2yko4c8
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Bulls hand Nuggets third consecutive loss behind Zach LaVine’s eruption - The Denver Post"
Post a Comment