Bulls-Nuggets Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Feb 06 2013 7:32PM

The Denver Nuggets have revved up their already high-scoring attack to compile their longest winning streak in more than two years.

They'll try to win an eighth straight game and finish a 6-0 homestand Thursday night when they host the Chicago Bulls, who will likely be undermanned again as they deal with injuries.

The Nuggets (31-18) have won 13 of 15, including their first seven-game winning streak since Nov. 20-Dec. 5, 2010. They're averaging 104.2 points on the season, and an even more impressive 113.1 during the current streak.

They last won eight in a row in January 2010.

"As a team, I think we're one of the top four in the West," point guard Ty Lawson told the Nuggets' official website. "I guess right now we're proving it."

Denver has been one of the NBA's top home teams, going 21-3 and making especially good use of the Mile High City of late. Of the team's 13 wins since Jan. 5, 11 have come at home, where the Nuggets have won 11 of 12 against Chicago.

They beat Milwaukee 112-104 on Tuesday, rallying from a 15-point halftime deficit and overcoming a 35-point, 12-rebound effort by Bucks center Samuel Dalembert. The Nuggets outscored Milwaukee 33-18 in the fourth quarter, finally grabbing their first lead with 3:06 remaining.

Denver limited the Bucks to 38 points in the second half after allowing 66 in the first 24 minutes.

"We picked up our defense and that made us play better," said Danilo Gallinari, who matched Lawson with a team-high 22 points. "We didn't play really good defense in the first two quarters. We talked about our defense and said that we have to play our best defense to get back into the game."

The Nuggets lead the NBA with 19.3 fast-break points per game, and they're averaging 26.4 over the last seven games. Denver had 33 against Milwaukee, the third time in five games it has topped 30.

The Bulls (29-19) have split their last six contests as they try to weather the effects of recent injuries. They lost 111-101 at Indiana on Monday as Kirk Hinrich (elbow) and Joakim Noah (foot) were both out for the third straight game.

Carlos Boozer returned after missing three games with a sore hamstring, but only chipped in 10 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes.

Chicago's normally stout defense - holding teams to 42.8 percent shooting - let Indiana shoot 52.7 percent from the field. It was the second weak defensive showing in the Bulls' last three games, as they allowed 52.0 percent shooting by the Nets in a 93-89 loss at Brooklyn on Friday.

"I feel like we're short-handed right now, but we're competing hard and that's all you can ask for and I feel like our best basketball is yet to come," Noah said. "We've just got to keep fighting and I think we'll be all right."

Luol Deng has been taking on a heavier shooting load, putting up at least 18 attempts in each of the last four games, but he has hit just 34.7 percent in that stretch.

He's averaging 19.2 points over his last six games against the Nuggets, though he was held to nine in a 108-91 home loss to Denver last March. Lawson scored a game-high 27 points.

The Bulls, 14-8 away from home, are trying to avoid their first back-to-back road losses since November.

Faried's slams lead Nuggets past Bulls 128-96

By ARNIE MELENDREZ STAPLETON
Posted Feb 08 2013 2:10AM

DENVER (AP) Kenneth Faried didn't wait for the All-Star dunk contest to put on a big show.

The Denver Nuggets' second-year star celebrated his invitation to the league's annual slam dunk contest with a series of rim-rattling, crowd-pleasing jams that set the tone for the Nuggets' eighth straight win, a 128-96 rout of the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

Faried finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds in 26 minutes as the Nuggets won for the 15th time in 18 games since Jan. 1, playing from the opening tip with an intensity that seemed to take the Bulls by surprise.

He had 17 points and eight boards on the break and was on the bench by the fourth quarter along with the rest of Denver's starters as they relished what had become a laugher.

Wilson Chandler added a season-high 24 points, sinking all five of his 3-pointers, as the Nuggets made quick work of a stingy Bulls team that came in yielding just 91 points a game but watched Denver pour in 100 by the time the third quarter was over.

"Wilson and Kenneth, what an incredible performance," Denver coach George Karl said. "That's 45 points on 19 shots. I'll take that every night."

Faried said he was more inspired by the television cameras at the Pepsi Center on this night than the chance to be in the spotlight during the All-Star weekend. He said he feels nobody's noticing the Nuggets as they round into shape following a tough start to the season in which they played 17 of their first 23 on the road, something no NBA team had endured in more than a quarter century.

"I came out with a mindset tonight just to dominate," Faried said. "I just wanted to come out and make a statement and Wilson came out and did the same thing. Our team did the same thing, wanted to come out and make a statement in a nationally televised game. We did what we had to do tonight.

JaVale McGee put on his own slam-and-jam show, adding 10 points for the Nuggets, who haven't lost since Jan. 18 and led this one by as many as 35 points.

The Nuggets' 128 points was their highest output of the season and also the most points allowed by the Bulls this season, surpassing the 120 that Houston had on Dec. 25 - it also marks the most an opponent scored during Tom Thibodeau's three years as the Bulls' coach.

"I think today we made a statement on TNT," Faried said, "and showed everybody hey, notice us, pay attention. We're out here trying to do our best and we're out here trying to set records."

Carlos Boozer led Chicago's starters with 18 points. The Bulls again were without starting guards Derrick Rose (left knee) and Kirk Hinrich (right elbow). Center Joakim Noah (right foot) returned to the lineup, but was held to just one bucket and five rebounds. Reserve Daequan Cook led the Bulls with 19 points.

"Yeah, they're short-handed, they're down a couple of guys," Karl said, unable to avoid a smile as he perused the Nuggets' best stat sheet of the season. "You know, we did what we had to do and it was fun watching the dunks and the 3-ball going in and the defensive energy and Kenneth bouncing around."

Faried learned before the game he had been selected to take part in the slam dunk competition during All-Star festivities in Houston on Feb. 16.

"I mean, I'm ecstatic about it, happy to go out there and showcase what I can do and excite the fans," Faried said before going out and nearly hitting a double-double by the time the Nuggets went to the locker room with a 63-58 halftime lead.

His biggest dunk in the first half came on the break when Ty Lawson's layup rimmed out and he timed it perfectly to throw down the follow-up. But his best one came in the third quarter when Lawson stripped Noah and flipped the ball to Faried for the fast-break bucket that gave Denver an 80-64 cushion.

Moments later, Faried tied up Noah on his way to the basket, part of a stellar defensive effort during a 28-6 spurt that allowed the Nuggets to coast to their seventh straight win at the Pepsi Center.

"It was an offensive game in the first half. They came out the third quarter and just smoked us," Thibodeau said. "They played very good defense. They got 37 in the third, got a big cushion, and that was the game."

With the game out of hand at 100-74 after three quarters, Lawson was the only starter for either team to log any minutes in the fourth quarter and he took a seat after just two minutes.

Lawson finished with 16 points and 12 assists and the Nuggets were an astonishing plus-40 when he was on the court.

"It was fun, everybody was into it," Faried said. "I mean, it was a hell of a night."

NOTES: The last Denver player to participate in the slam dunk contest was J.R. Smith in 2009. ... Before the game, Nuggets coach George Karl met with 2013 U.S. Solheim Cup captain Meg Mallon and assistant captain Dottie Pepper along with LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. Karl is a member of the Colorado Golf Club where the Americans and Europeans will compete for the cup this August.

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Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

Notebook: Nuggets 128, Bulls 96

Michael Kelly, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Feb 08, 2013 2:10 AM - Updated Fri Feb 08, 2013 2:10 AM

THE FACTS: Kenneth Faried had 21 points and 12 rebounds, Wilson Chandler scored a season-high 24 points and the Denver Nuggets used a strong second half to rout the Chicago Bulls 128-96 on Thursday night.

Ty Lawson had 16 points and 12 assists for Denver, which has won eight straight and 13 of 15 at home.

The Bulls, playing without three of their top guards, were outscored 65-38 in the second half. Daequan Cook led Chicago with 19 points off the bench and Carlos Boozer had 18 points.

Chicago has lost two straight on its four-game road trip, which finishes up Friday night in Utah.

QUOTABLE: "I think we've got people's attention. We've been playing at home but we're also playing a lot better. We have moved into the fourth spot in the West so I think people are going to take notice."
-- Ty Lawson

THE STAT: The Nuggets were happy to be 17-15 when they started this stretch of home games. They had played 22 road games at that point and knew the next six weeks would be critical. They are now 32-18 after going 15-3 since Jan. 1.

TURNING POINT: The Nuggets turned a close game into a rout with one of their best quarters of the season when they outscored the Bulls 37-16 in the third. Denver hit 13 of 21 shots in the period and led by as many as 30 after a 35-10 run in the period.

QUOTABLE II: "Most of our offense was created by good defensive plays. Wilson got the 3-ball in the game for us, Kenneth had that great energy and we were an unselfish team. Wilson and Kenneth, what a performance by our four position."
-- Nuggets coach George Karl

HOT: Faried and Chandler gave the Nuggets the maximum production from the power forward position. Faried hit his first eight shots and finished 9-for-10 from the field. Chandler came off the bench to shoot 8-for-9 and hit all five of his 3-point attempts.

QUOTABLE III: "I came out with the mindset to dominate. I wanted to come out, make a statement and Wilson did the same thing. Nationally televised game and we did what we had to do tonight."
-- Kenneth Faried

NOT: Chicago's defense the past couple of games. The Bulls are third in the league in points allowed (91) and second in shooting percentage (42.8) but the Nuggets obliterated those numbers Thursday. They had 100 after three quarters and shot 58 percent. It was the second straight game the Bulls have allowed more than 100 points and an opponent to shoot better than 50 percent.

QUOTABLE IV: "They came out the third quarter and just smoked us. They got 37, got a big cushion and that was the game. The ball was going wherever they wanted the ball to go."
-- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau

INSIDE THE ARENA: Meg Mallon, captain of the U.S. Solheim Cup team, and assistant captain Dottie Pepper, attended the game. They met with Nuggets coach Karl, signed autographs during the game and were introduced to the crowd in the second quarter. The Solheim Cup, an international team match-play golf competition between female U.S.-born players from the LPGA and European players will be played Aug. 13-18 at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo.

GOOD MOVE: Karl hung with his starters for most of the third quarter when the Nuggets made their run. The offense was humming and they forced seven turnovers.

BAD MOVE: Pretty much anything Chicago tried to do in the second half didn't work. The Bulls let the Nuggets get out in transition, they were badly outrebounded 28-14. Even Denver's reserves outplayed the Bulls bench in the fourth quarter, 28-22.

NOTABLE: Chicago center Joakim Noah returned to the lineup after missing three games with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. ... .Marco Belinelli did not play. He rolled his right ankle in Monday's loss to Indiana and hasn't practiced since. ... Denver's previous high-point game was 126 against the L.A. Lakers on Dec. 26. ... The most points Chicago allowed before Thursday was 120 against Houston on Jan. 20.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, Friday @ Utah, Monday vs. San Antonio, Tuesday @ Boston. For the Nuggets, Saturday @ Cleveland, Sunday @ Boston, Tuesday @ Toronto.

• Bulls: Hinrich, Rose
• Nuggets: Miller, Stone

• Bulls: --
• Nuggets: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #28 Zach Zarba, #44 Eli Roe
• Attendance: 19325
• Duration: 2:16