The Denver Nuggets (7 - 7) defeated the Chicago Bulls (9 - 6) 114 - 109 on Tuesday at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Despite starting the season 2 - 5, the Nuggets have now won a surprising five straight games to put them at an even .500 on the season. The Nuggets shot 51 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three - point line, which gave them the advantage over the Bulls who shot only 43 percent from the floor and 33 percent from the three - point line. The Nuggets also were tougher on the boards and out - rebounded the Bulls 45 - 37. The Nuggets were led by their starting backcourt of Ty Lawson and Arron Afflalo. Lawson shot 7 - for - 16 from the field and 1 - for - 1 from beyond the arc to score 20 points, while also dishing out 12 assists. It was his second straight double - double and fourth in the last five games, as he continues to be a force this season. Afflalo was also very efficient Tuesday. He shot 7 - for - 11 from the field and 3 - for - 4 from the three - point line to score 19 points in 32 minutes. Starters Kenneth Faried and Timofey Mozgov both came one rebound shy of their own double - doubles. Faried had 12 points and nine rebounds, while Mozgov had 11 points and nine rebounds. Wilson Chandler marked the fifth starter in double figures for points, as he shot 6 - for - 11 from the field and 2 - for - 4 from deep to score 14 points. The Nuggets really had a total team effort in this victory. Despite getting the start, Derrick Rose again had to the leave the game early, as he was dealing with left hamstring tightness that limited him to only nine minutes. He finished with two points before leaving. Without Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol did everything they could to give the Bulls a shot at winning. Butler was able to get to the free throw line 20 times, and converted on 18 of those attempts. He finished the game with 32 points and nine rebounds. Gasol was able to notch a double - double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. It was his seventh of the year. With Rose leaving early, both Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Brooks received extra time off the bench with each scoring 10 and 16 points respectively. The Nuggets' next game will be on the road against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, while the Bulls will travel to Boston to play the Celtics on Friday.
["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 50 Percentage of 3 points ,has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 7 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 45 Rebounds ,has 7 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 33 Percentage of 3 points ,has 43 Percentage of field goals ,has 6 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 37 Rebounds ,has 9 Wins ."]