CHICAGO - Rookie Tyrus Thomas scored on a tip-in with two-tenths of a second left after Ben Gordon's missed jumper, giving the Chicago Bulls a 109-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
Allen Iverson's drive along the right side gave the Nuggets a 108-107 lead with 13.1 seconds left, but the Nuggets saw their five-game win streak end in a wild finish.
Gordon got trapped in the right corner after catching an inbounds pass and threw a weak pass toward P.J. Brown on the wing. The Bulls maintained possession, and Gordon missed a jumper from the corner. Luol Deng kept the ball alive, and Thomas tipped in the winner.
Gordon finished with 25 points to lead the Bulls, who had lost two straight to Memphis and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Deng had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Kirk Hinrich scored 21 points. Brown added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Thomas finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Iverson led Denver with 31 points, Carmelo Anthony added 28, and Nene had 18 points and 12 rebounds.
It was a much-needed victory for the Bulls after losing to two teams with losing records.
One of the Bulls' goals is to finish with fewer than 10 losses at home, and it's still within reach - barely. They're 26-9, with six games left at the United Center. Two of those are against Detroit and Cleveland, so achieving that goal will be difficult.
More important for the Bulls is securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. That could be the difference between a postseason run and an early exit, given their 14-21 road record.
After shooting a combined 7-for-27 against the Clippers, Gordon and Deng rediscovered their touch. Gordon was 10-for-23 and even had a rare dunk late in the first quarter, and Deng was 10-for-23.
The Nuggets led 99-92 after Linas Kleiza's 3-pointer with 5:43 left, but Brown's jumper and Gordon's 3 made it a two-point game. Hinrich tied it at 101 with a drive through the lane, and Deng's basket gave the Bulls a 103-101 lead with 2:54 remaining. Deng, who got fouled, pumped his fist after the shot went in, but he missed the free throw.
Kleiza struck again with 2:03 left, hitting a 3 from the corner, but Deng wasn't finished, either. He drove the lane to put the Bulls back ahead, 105-104 with 1:38 left.
After two free throws by Nene, Gordon pulled up for a jumper on the left side that put the Bulls back ahead 107-106.
Notes:@ The Nuggets' Marcus Camby left in the third quarter with back spasms and headed to the locker room in the fourth. He had four points and eight rebounds. ... Hinrich headed to the locker room 3:34 into the third quarter to get stitches for a bloody mouth but returned less than three minutes later. ... Given that their friendship goes back to 1983, it was no surprise Skiles endorsed new Milwaukee Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak. "I'm sure he'll do a great job. He's a good man," Skiles said.
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