Billups hits go-ahead free throw, Nuggets prevail over Bulls 90-89 after lengthy review

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Billups’ free throw lifts Nuggets over Bulls 90-89

CHICAGO — Chauncey Billups hit the go-ahead free throw with six-tenths of a second left and the Denver Nuggets beat the Chicago Bulls 90-89 on Tuesday night after a potential winning jumper by Brad Miller was overturned following a replay review.

Billups was fouled by Kirk Hinrich on a drive and then intentionally missed the second free throw after making the first to break the tie. Joakim Noah grabbed the rebound, and the Bulls nearly pulled it off.

After a timeout, Miller caught the inbounds pass from Hinrich and, in one motion, buried a jumper from the top of the key. The crowd went wild. So did the Bulls, but it didn’t last.

After a lengthy review, the officials ruled time had expired, and the Nuggets snapped a two-game losing streak.

The win was the 939th for coach George Karl, who passed Red Auberbach and is eighth on the NBA’s all-time list.

Carmelo Anthony scored a season-low 20 points for Denver, while Billups added 17, and Kenyon Martin had 15 points and 10 rebounds after missing a game with a bruised left fibula.

Derrick Rose led Chicago with 22 points, while Luol Deng scored 21, and Joakim Noah had a career-high 21 rebounds for the Bulls, who had won three straight.

Both teams struggled from the outside, with the Bulls hitting 4 of 18 3-pointers and the Nuggets 5 of 16.

There was never really a big run in the game.

It was at 87-83 after Anthony tracked down a loose ball following a broken play by the Bulls and Martin dunked with 1:56 left.

Hinrich buried a jumper to make it a two-point game and then picked up a loose ball after a missed 3 by John Salmons, keeping the possession alive. After Noah missed a layup, Rose converted to tie it at 87 with 33 seconds left, and he answered Anthony’s jumper with two free throws with 10.4 seconds left, setting up the wild finish.

NOTES: Denver’s J.R. Smith scored five points in his first game after serving a seven-game suspension. He said he wants to go by his given name, Earl III, although the Nuggets plan to keep calling him J.R. … Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said there are no plans to bring in outside help even though the Bulls are down to 10 healthy players. … Del Negro said “everything has gone well” with F Tyrus Thomas, who is out for at least a month with a broken left forearm. “It’s just a matter of getting him on some cardio program so he can stay in the best condition as you can in this situation,” Del Negro said. “But it’s going to be awhile.”