Chicago – Wincing when he put on his shoes, frowning when he got up and tried to walk, Nuggets center Marcus Camby was singled out time and again as the key that could have unlocked a victory Thursday night.
Problem is, he was injured.
So when Chicago forward Tyrus Thomas tipped in the game-winning shot with 0.2 of a second left and yelled in exhilaration along with the capacity crowd at the United Center, Camby could do nothing about it. He was on the bench, his back forcing him to watch the Bulls dance off with a 109-108 win.
“We really missed him down the stretch,” Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said, “just having another body to help us out. I think if he was in there, the outcome would have been a little bit different.”
It was the Nuggets’ first loss in their past six games. This is a ladder of an Eastern Conference swing, with each game getting harder. The Nuggets’ games are against the No. 7 (New Jersey), No. 5 (Chicago), No. 4 (Toronto), No. 2 (Cleveland) and No. 1 (Detroit) teams in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Unlike after most of the other losses this season, the Nuggets’ locker room wasn’t exactly a somber place. They were satisfied with the basketball they played, but the ball bounced away from them in the end.
“It was the bounce of the ball,” guard Steve Blake said. “Melo and (Bulls forward Luol) Deng both jumped for the rebound, and it happened to bounce perfectly where (Thomas) can grab it and lay it in the basket….It’s kind of luck of the draw.”
The frantic last 25 seconds went like this:
Bulls guard Ben Gordon made a 12-foot jumper with 23.6 seconds left to give Chicago a 107-106 lead. The Nuggets answered with an Allen Iverson running layup, off of a screen-and-roll play with Anthony, to take a 108-107 lead with 13.1 seconds left.
Faced with having to score in the last possession, Gordon missed a baseline jumper. Anthony and Deng batted the ball in the air trying to go for a rebound. As the ball came down, Thomas tipped it in. Time ran out as the Nuggets didn’t get a shot off to try and win it.
“I thought I had it,” said Anthony, who finished with 28 points. “Luol Deng hit it out of my hands, and Tyrus Thomas was in the right place at the right time.”
Said Deng: “Ben took a shot and I wanted to grab a rebound, but all I could do was tap it toward the basket. I just thought I would tap it and let what happens, happen.”
The result snapped a Bulls’ two-game losing streak. Chicago overcame 31 points from Iverson, who scored 24 of that total in the second half.
“What can you say?” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “We had the ball in our hands three times. I suppose they could have called an over-the-back call also. It’s just a tough way to get beat.”
And tonight will be tough if Denver is without Camby against one the NBA’s premier post players in Toronto’s Chris Bosh.
Camby, who left in the third quarter, said he “gave all he could” against Chicago and is “doubtful” against the Raptors.
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-54-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
