Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 27 and the Denver Nuggets overcame the loss of point guard Jamal Murray to beat the Chicago Bulls 123-101 on Saturday night.
Aaron Gordon had 15 points and 12 rebounds for defending NBA champion Denver, which won all four of its home games.
Murray played the first 8:40 before leaving with a right hamstring strain. He finished with two points and two rebounds. Reggie Jackson, enjoying extended minutes in place of Murray, scored 16 points off the bench, tying his season high.
“I tried to adapt to the environment,” Jackson said of playing with the starters. “Just figuring out how not to screw it up and then being aggressive in the places where I can be aggressive. This group really knows how to play against each other, so you have to be in the right spacing and that makes it easy. »
Murray exited the arena after the match limping slightly. Denver coach Michael Malone had not spoken with the training staff before speaking to the media, but said “you always worry about these kinds of injuries because they can stick around for a while.” .
Nikola Vucevic had 19 points, DeMar DeRozan scored 17 and Jalen Carter added 16 for Chicago, which has lost three straight. Zach LaVine was held to 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
The Bulls shot 45.3% for the game but held the Nuggets to 70% in the fourth quarter.
“I feel good when Zach shoots the ball, when Vuc shoots the ball or DeMar shoots the ball,” Chicago coach Billy Donovan said. “I would be concerned about the quality and number of shots.”
The Bulls won the previous meeting in Denver, 117-96, on March 8, and took a two-point lead at halftime. The Nuggets opened the third quarter on a 21-4 run to take a 72-57 lead and lead by 18 before Chicago cut it to 86-76 early in the fourth.
Denver extended the lead to 16, but the Bulls made it 101-90 on a 3-point basket from Carter before the Nuggets went on a 10-1 run to put it away.
Both teams had just played their first game of the NBA In-Season Tournament on Friday and looked like they had played the night before in the first quarter. Denver was 1 of 8 from 3-point range and the Bulls committed four turnovers, but both teams got hot.
For the game, the Nuggets shot 44.4% from behind the arc and Chicago managed just seven attempts over the final three quarters.
RARE SIGHTINGS
Nuggets backup center DeAndre Jordan made his season debut to face Andre Drummond, Chicago’s burly big man off the bench. Jordan hasn’t played much since joining Denver before last season, instead serving as a veteran in his 16th season. He scored a point in 12 minutes.
Collin Gillespie, who missed last season due to injury, also spent time on the court with Murray out and scored his first NBA points on a layup midway through the third quarter. His first career 3-pointer late in the fourth gave Denver a 23-point lead.
“It was fun to be there for the first time playing real NBA minutes,” Gillespie said. “Replace (Jamal) and do everything I can to help the team win. »
FOLLOWING
Bulls: Host the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Nuggets: Host the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.
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