NBA

Chicago Bulls at Denver Nuggets

· National Basketball Association
7-6, 2-5 Away
Final
130 - 127

10-3, 6-1 Home

Huerter, Vucevic hit big 3-pointers down the stretch as Bulls hold off Nuggets 130-127

Nikola Jokic records triple-double in loss to Bulls

The Bulls squandered an 18-point lead in the first half. They also let a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter slip away before rallying late to snap a five-game losing streak.

Huerter hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:25 left and Vucevic later extended the lead with another with 33 seconds remaining. Denver had a chance to tie it, but Jokic's shot at the buzzer was off the mark.

Ayo Dosunmu and Josh Giddey led six Bulls players in double figures with 21 points each. Giddey also had 14 rebounds.

Chicago handed the Nuggets their first home loss of the season in a game in which the Bulls held a 66-9 advantage in bench scoring.

The Bulls showed no signs of exhaustion despite arriving in the Mile High City off a 150-147 double-overtime loss in Utah the night before.

Jokic finished with 36 points, 18 rebound and 13 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season. He was an assist shy of reaching the mark by halftime. Jamal Murray scored 18 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter.

Aaron Gordon had 24 points for the Nuggets, who saw their seven-game winning streak halted. Denver remains without shooting guard Christian Braun (left ankle).

The Bulls sat Coby White (strained right calf) after he played 30 minutes and scored 27 points on Sunday.

Up next Bulls: Finish a four-game trip Wednesday at Portland.

Nuggets: Begin a two-game trip Wednesday at New Orleans.

Regular Season Series

CHI leads series 1-0

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 130 - 127
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 130 - 127
4th 0.1 Nuggets offensive team rebound 130 - 127
4th 1.1 Nikola Jokic misses 36-foot three point jumper 130 - 127
4th 1.7 Nikola Vucevic personal foul 130 - 127

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/chi.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCHI https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/den.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originDEN
48-102 FG 46-97
47 Field Goal % 47
19-53 3PT 14-36
36 Three Point % 39
15-19 FT 21-25
79 Free Throw % 84
53 Rebounds 53
13 Offensive Rebounds 13
40 Defensive Rebounds 40
31 Assists 21
5 Steals 6
4 Blocks 5
9 Turnovers 8
0 Team Turnovers 0
9 Total Turnovers 8
0 Technical Fouls 1
0 Total Technical Fouls 1
0 Flagrant Fouls 1
6 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 15
23 Fast Break Points 14
50 Points in Paint 48
18 Fouls 14
18 Largest Lead 8
Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Jonas Valanciunas, C Day-To-Day Dec 25
Cameron Johnson, F Out Dec 25
Tamar Bates, G Out Dec 22
Christian Braun, G Out Dec 13
Aaron Gordon, F Out Dec 9
Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Noa Essengue, F Out Dec 3

Game Information

Ball Arena

Location: Denver, CO
Attendance: 19,951 · Capacity:

2025-26 Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Detroit 24 6 .800 - W3
Cleveland 17 15 .531 8 L1
Chicago 14 15 .483 9.5 W4
Milwaukee 12 18 .400 12 W1
Indiana 6 24 .200 18 L6

2025-26 Northwest Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Oklahoma City 26 5 .839 - L2
Denver 21 8 .724 4 L1
Minnesota 20 10 .667 5.5 W3
Portland 12 18 .400 13.5 L2
Utah 10 19 .345 15 L4
Full Standings

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