Nuggets take care of Bulls despite injury to Jamal Murray

Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 27 points, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Chicago Bulls 123-101 on Saturday night.

Reggie Jackson scored 16 points off the bench, Aaron Gordon had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and reserve Christian Braun added 10 points each for Denver, which played most of the game without point guard Jamal Murray.

Murray played the first 8:40 of the game before going to the bench and eventually the locker room with a reported hamstring injury. He was listed as questionable to return but did not play the rest of the way, finishing with two points and two rebounds.

Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points, DeMar DeRozan chipped in 17, Javon Carter scored 16 off the bench, Zach LaVine added 12 and Coby White 11 for Chicago.

The Bulls, who won their last time in Denver, took a 53-51 lead into halftime. They scored nine straight points midway through the second quarter to go in front, but the Nuggets came out strong in the third quarter.

Porter converted a three-point play, Gordon made two free throws and Caldwell-Pope drained a 3-pointer in the first 70 seconds.

DeRozan broke the run with a midrange jumper, but Denver scored the next 10 points to lead by 14. Vucevic banked in a shot, but Jokic had a three-point play and made a pair of layups to put the Nuggets up 79-61 with 4:31 left.

Chicago got within 86-74 heading into the fourth, and Andre Drummond's tip to open the final period made it a 10-point game. Porter and Jackson answered with consecutive 3-pointers to give Denver a 92-76 lead.

A three-point play by Torrey Craig and Carter's fourth 3-pointer of the game pulled the Bulls within 101-90 with eight minutes remaining.

Jokic came in and hit two straight buckets, Porter and Gordon made back-to-back 3-pointers and Porter drained his fourth 3-pointer of the night to make it 114-94, and the Nuggets closed it out.

—Field Level Media/Reuters