Nuggets Beat Bulls, Barely Denver Blows 29-Point Lead, Holds On To Snap Bulls’ Streak
Not even Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls could escape from this one.
But the NBA’s mightiest team down by 31 points in the second quarter - came tantalizingly close.
Not close enough, however, to prevent a 105-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night that ended Chicago’s franchise-record 18-game winning streak.
“I expected us to lose sometime, but I feel bad because we played bad,” Dennis Rodman said. “That team (Denver) is not that good. I’m not going to give that team any credit at all.”
Playing two nights after winning their showdown with Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Bulls surged from a 25-point halftime deficit to pull ahead in the fourth quarter.
And, of course, Jordan was the man, scoring 22 points in the third period and 39 for the game. But the Nuggets didn’t wilt, and the Bulls, who entered the night off to the best start in NBA history, dropped to 41-4.
“We made it an entertaining game,” Chicago coach Phil Jackson said. “We exerted too much energy coming back. It showed from the four-minute mark of the fourth period to the end.”
The loss was the first for Chicago since a 103-97 defeat at Indiana on Dec. 26, and it also snapped the Bulls’ team-record nine-game road winning streak.
Denver (19-26) is the first sub-.500 team to beat the Bulls this year. Chicago’s other losses this season, all on the road, were to Indiana, Orlando and Seattle.
The Nuggets led 66-35 with 3:05 left in the second quarter and 68-43 at halftime, but Jordan hit 8 of 10 shots in the third period as the Bulls pulled ahead 87-84 with 10:47 remaining.
Nuggets 105, Bulls 99
Chicago (99) - Pippen 4-15 3-3 13, Rodman 3-5 0-0 6, Wennington 9-21 0-0 18, Harper 2-6 2-2 6, Jordan 13-29 9-11 39, Kukoc 1-6 2-2 4, Kerr 2-5 0-0 5, Edwards 2-5 0-2 4, Caffey 1-1 2-2 4. Totals 37-93 18-22 99.
Denver (105) - D.Ellis 7-13 1-1 16, McDyess 7-10 2-4 16, Mutombo 2-4 6-6 10, Abdul-Rauf 13-27 2-2 32, Stith 4-10 1-2 9, L.Ellis 6-8 3-4 15, Overton 0-0 0-0 0, McLean 2-6 3-4 7, Hammonds 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 41-78 18-23 105.
Chicago 20 23 39 17 - 99 Denver 34 34 16 21 - 105
3-Point goals-Chicago 7-23 (Jordan 4-7, Pippen 2-9, Kerr 1-3, Kukoc 0-1, Harper 0-3), Denver 5-15 (Abdul-Rauf 4-10, D.Ellis 1-5). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Chicago 48 (Rodman 12), Denver 54 (Mutombo 17). Assists-Chicago 26 (Pippen, Wennington, Harper 5), Denver 25 (Abdul-Rauf 9). Total fouls- Chicago 22, Denver 20. Flagrant foul-Caffey. A-17,171 (17,171).
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