Gasol Has Double-Double As Bulls Beat Nuggets, 99-90
CHICAGO (AP) — Pau Gasol had 26 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 99-90 win over the struggling Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
Gasol shot 12-for-19 from the field and had his fifth consecutive double-double for Chicago, which won for the third time in four games and improved to 7-1 at home. Jimmy Butler, playing through a lingering right heel contusion, scored 19 points in 39 minutes.
Derrick Rose finished with 12 points on 3-for-17 shooting.
Will Barton scored 16 points and Kenneth Faried had 14 points and nine rebounds as Denver lost its eighth straight.
The Nuggets, who finished shooting 39 percent from the field, led 72-68 heading to the fourth quarter after limiting Chicago to 17 points in the third.
Chicago regained the lead for good at 82-79 with 7:37 left on Doug McDermott's 3-pointer.
Denver fell behind by eight but cut the lead to four on J.J. Hickson's dunk with 2:22 left. Chicago then rebuilt its lead and salvaged the win after outscoring the Nuggets 31-18 during the fourth, including 12 from Gasol.
Joakim Noah came off the bench and added nine points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who played most of the game without Nikola Mirotic after he suffered a concussion and facial laceration during the first quarter. Mirotic was defending in the lane when he took an inadvertent right elbow to the face from a driving Emmanuel Mudiay, sending him to the floor.
Mirotic, who had three points and two rebounds, left the game immediately and went to the locker room for observation where he received stitches
The Bulls led 51-46 at halftime. Gasol made his first six shots and ended the half with 12 points, while Faried's 10 led the Nuggets.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Gary Harris (concussion) didn't play. ... Denver also dropped its fourth straight on the road. ... Five Nuggets scored in double figures.
Bulls: Kirk Hinrich (left hip pointer) didn't play. Aaron Brooks (left hamstring) was a game-time decision but played nine minutes. ... Butler had a steal to extend his streak with at least one to 24 games, the longest active in the NBA.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: At Toronto on Thursday.
Bulls: Host Charlotte on Saturday.
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