Murray's career night lifts Nuggets past Bulls

[November 23, 2016]  DENVER -- Jamal Murray helped get Denver rolling in the right direction in the second quarter, and the defense in the fourth made sure his efforts would stand up.

Murray scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds, both career-highs, Will Barton hit two free throws with 9.5 seconds left and the Nuggets defeated the Chicago Bulls 110-107 on Tuesday night.

Barton finished with 10 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 14 points and 14 rebounds for Denver (6-8), which notched its 10th straight victory over the Bulls at Pepsi Center.

The Nuggets won 16 of 17 overall at home against Chicago.

Jimmy Butler followed up his 40-point game against the Los Angeles Lakers with 35 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He was 11 of 12 from the line but couldn't break the losing streak in Denver.

"It's a basketball court with two rims, two backboards and a ball," Butler said. "At the end of the day put the ball in the basket, do everything you can do in every other city and win the game."

They couldn't overcome Denver's defense in the fourth quarter. After allowing Chicago to score 88 through three they held them to 19 in the last 12 minutes.

"Our fourth quarter defense was great," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

Barton, playing his second game after missing nine with a sprained left ankle, scored eight points in the third quarter. Murray came into the game and hit a 3-pointer, a driving dunk and two free throws in a span of 1:10 to give Denver a 91-84 lead late in the period.

The Bulls (9-6) rallied to tie it at 107 on Butler's 3-pointer with 56.1 seconds left. After Denver was called for offensive basket interference, Butler missed a short jumper and the Nuggets called consecutive timeouts to set up a play.

Dwyane Wade fouled Barton, who drained two free throws to give Denver a 109-107 lead with 9.5 seconds left.

The Bulls called a timeout to draw up a play for Butler, but the Nuggets thwarted that plan and Wade got the ball to Isaiah Cannon, whose 3-point attempt missed everything.

"They took away the first option with Jimmy slipping to the basket," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "Isaiah was coming off on the crackback and was wide open, but the play was for Jimmy. We gave ourselves a chance by holding them to 19 but couldn't get enough on the other end."

The Bulls were happy with the last play even if it didn't work out.

"We got a shot from a very good 3-point shooter," said Wade, who finished with 22 points. "We're fine with it."

Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) defends as Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) guards guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) in the second quarter at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Danilo Gallinari hit a free throw to seal it. Gallinari finished with 15 points and Wilson Chandler recorded 16 points and nine rebounds.

Butler, who was named last week's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, continued his torrid play. He had 10 in the first quarter and 17 at halftime to keep the Bulls in it.

Chicago led by 12 after one period but missed nine straight shots at one point and Denver took advantage -- specifically, its bench. Led by Murray, who had 15 of his 17 first-half points in the second quarter, the Nuggets scored 22 straight to take a 41-31 lead.

"It just takes one shot to have confidence," Murray said. "It doesn't take me long to get hot. I think every shot is going in. If I miss I don't worry about it."

The Bulls recovered to tie it at 60 at halftime. Denver's bench scored 39 of the team's 41 points in the second quarter and outscored Chicago's reserves 61-13 for the game.

NOTES: Bulls G Dwyane Wade said he was impressed with the Nuggets' presentation to him when he met with the team during his free agency over the summer. "Those guys, I was sold on them," Wade said. "They made it a lot tougher than people think." ... Denver F Mike Miller is still away from the team for personal reasons. He should return before Friday's game. ... Bulls G Michael Carter-Williams (left knee bruise, left wrist sprain) missed his 12th straight game. He is expected to return in early or mid-December. ... Denver averaged 27.3 assists in its last four games after recording 26 on Tuesday. "It's a combination of unselfish plays and guys making shots," coach Michael Malone said before Tuesday's contest.

[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.