NBA: Red-hot Bulls wrap up road trip by toppling Nuggets
Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey dunks against the Denver Nuggets in the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, March 24, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Coby White scored 37 points, Josh Giddey had 26 points and nine assists, and the visiting Chicago Bulls beat the short-handed Denver Nuggets 129-119 on Monday night to wrap up their six-game road trip.
Dalen Terry and Jalen Smith scored 14 points each, Nikola Vucevic had 12 and Matas Buzelis contributed 10 for Chicago (32-40). The Bulls finished 4-2 on their longest road trip of the season.
Jamal Murray scored 28 points, Peyton Watson added a career-high 24, Christian Braun finished with 18, Michael Porter Jr. had 16 and DeAndre Jordan had 10 points and 17 rebounds for Denver. The Nuggets (45-28) were without Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon.
READ: NBA: Bulls rout Lakers, spoil LeBron James’ return
Josh Giddey followed up his near-quadruple-double last game with another strong outing!
🏀 26 PTS
🏀 8 REB
🏀 9 ASTThe Bulls are now 8-2 in their last 10!! pic.twitter.com/x5Wq4KB5AP
— NBA (@NBA) March 25, 2025
Jokic missed his fifth straight game with a left ankle impingement and a sore right elbow and Gordon sat the second game of a back-to-back to manage his right calf. Denver is 2-3 in Jokic’s absence.
The Nuggets opened the fourth with a dunk and a layup by Porter to lead 99-95 but White hit a 3-pointer and a layup, and Russell Westbrook’s fifth turnover of the night led to a Chicago dunk and a 102-99 Bulls lead.
Murray missed a layup and White hit two free throws to stretch the lead to five. Braun converted a three-point play but Terry and Smith hit corner 3-pointers to give the Bulls a 112-103 lead with 6:36 remaining.
Murray and Braun hit 3-pointers but Chicago answered both to keep the advantage at nine, and Giddey drained another from deep, the Bulls’ 16th of the night, to make it 123-111 with 3:47 left.
READ: NBA: Coby White scores 37, Bulls rally past Nets
The Nuggets got it within 125-119 when Westbrook missed a 3-pointer with 1:04 left, and Chicago held on.
Westbrook finished with 14 points and 10 assists.
Denver led by as many as 13 in the first quarter but White’s 15-point second quarter tied it at 65 at halftime.
The Bulls built an 80-74 lead midway through the third quarter but Watson hit a pair of 3-pointers to rally the Nuggets to a 95-93 lead late. White’s layup got it even again heading into the fourth quarter.
