National Basketball Association
Denver 114, Chicago 106
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Officials: #29 Mark Lindsay, #38 Michael Smith, #28 Mousa Dagher
Attendance: 20775

Reggie Jackson scored 25 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 17 to lift the short-handed Denver Nuggets to a 114-106 victory against the host Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.

Denver won for the second time in as many nights despite playing without Jamal Murray and losing star Nikola Jokic to an ejection.

Officials tossed Jokic with 1:08 remaining in the second quarter for briefly arguing a no-call as he ran down the floor. Jokic had missed a layup at the other end amid contact from Chicago's Nikola Vucevic as he drove the baseline.

Fans at United Center booed the call as Jokic left the game with four points, nine rebounds and six assists. He had not been assessed a previous warning or technical foul. The development further depleted Denver, which was missing Murray, who rolled his left ankle in the first quarter Monday in a win at Atlanta (he returned to that game).

The Nuggets also lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the second quarter Tuesday with a head contusion.

Chicago trailed by 16 points in the third quarter and rallied to trim the deficit to five before the Nuggets regained control.

Coby White kept the Bulls afloat with 27 points, which included 5-for-10 shooting from 3-point range. White has swished at least three treys in 12 consecutive games, an ongoing franchise record.

Still, the effort from White and a 26-point, 16-rebound double-double from Vucevic weren't enough as Chicago lost its second straight game on the heels of a four-game winning streak.

DeMar DeRozan added 14 points for the Bulls, while White had eight assists. Alex Caruso missed his second consecutive game due to a sprained left ankle.

Julian Strawther (16 points), Aaron Gordon (14) and Christian Braun (13) each scored in double figures for the Nuggets, while DeAndre Jordan grabbed 10 rebounds.

Denver led 57-50 at halftime behind 16 points from Jackson and 11 from Braun. Vucevic had 15 points and 12 rebounds at the break.

The Nuggets swept the season series after winning by 22 on their home floor on Nov. 4.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Denver   Chicago
Reggie Jackson 25 Scoring Coby White 27
Aaron Gordon 6 Assists Coby White 8
DeAndre Jordan 10 Rebounds Nikola Vucevic 16
Julian Strawther 6 Free Throws Made DeMar DeRozan 7
DeAndre Jordan 1 Steals Andre Drummond 2
DeAndre Jordan 2 Blocks DeMar DeRozan 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Denver 114 47.0 14-30 22-32 28 46 4 4 11
Chicago 106 41.9 13-40 21-23 26 41 9 6 14
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against Miami. The Bulls have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .375 after a loss.
  • Denver will play their next game at home against Brooklyn. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .688 after a win and .556 after a loss.