Bulls hold off Nuggets

"If I can continue to play like this and help my team win, that’s what I’ll continue to do," Gordon said. "We made defensive plays when we weren’t scoring, and held them off (during the fourth quarter)."

Darius Songaila scored 21 points for the Bulls, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Luol Deng scored 16 points, while Andres Nocioni added 15. Tyson Chandler grabbed 14 rebounds.

Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points to pace Denver, which has lost six of its last seven games following a seven-game winning streak. Andre Miller scored 22 points, while Earl Watson scored 14 points. Eduardo Najera scored 13 points, and Earl Boykins added 12.

Down by one point with 14 seconds left, Chandler blocked a jumper in the lane by Anthony. Nocioni hit two free throws, but Anthony missed a three at the buzzer on Denver’s last possession.

The Nuggets trailed by as many as 20 points, with 5:33 remaining in the third quarter, down 80-60 after Deng capped a 13-0 run with a basket. They took off on an 18-6 run to start the fourth, however, during which Anthony scored seven points.

"We weren’t defending in the first quarter and dug ourselves a hole," Denver coach George Karl said. "We’ve given up 30-plus points in the first quarter in six of our last eight games. It’s not a time to get angry, it’s a time to get better."

Anthony scored two free throws with 1:33 left and hit a jumper 30 seconds later to make the score 108-107.

Watson air balled a three, however, with 32 seconds on the clock. The Nuggets got the ball back after Camby won a jump ball two seconds later.

"It would be nice if we could play well and put somebody away," Chicago coach Scott Skiles said. "We were fortunate to get out of here with a win."

The Bulls snapped a six-game losing streak at the Pepsi Center.

Game Notes

The Bulls won in Denver for the first time since the 1997-98 season and improved to 1-4 on their seven-game road trip. Anthony sprained his left thumb in the first half when he was hit by a Chicago player. X-rays were negative, but he played with a bandage in the second half...Chicago has won two of the last six meetings.