DENVER – Nate Robinson and Jordan Hamilton each hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter, helping the Denver Nuggets pull away for a 97-87 victory against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.
Hamilton finished with 17 points to lead the Nuggets, who won their seventh consecutive game against the Bulls at the Pepsi Center. J.J. Hickson had 14 points, Kenneth Faried had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Randy Foye also scored 12 points.
Derrick Rose had 19 points for the Bulls, who snapped a five-game winning streak.
Robinson, who spent last season with the Bulls, started a 12-0 burst when he hit successive 3s opening the final period. Hamilton matched him by making 3s on consecutive possessions, and the Nuggets’ lead ballooned to 82-62 with 9 minutes, 40 seconds left.
Chicago managed to pull to 94-83, but Robinson, who had 10 of his 11 points in the final period, responded by hitting a 12-foot bank shot to help quash the Bulls’ late momentum.
Darrell Arthur hit a baseline jumper to give the Nuggets a 69-60 lead with 1:09 left in the third, matching their biggest lead of the night, and Denver was in front 70-62 going into the final period.
The Bulls outscored the Nuggets 8-2 in the final two minutes of the second quarter, pulling to 50-48 at halftime. Chicago hit the offensive boards in the surge, getting tip-ins from Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah during the sequence.
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