Earlier Wednesday, Denver Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik had called his Monday night guarantee that Denver would snap its three-game losing streak against the Bulls an “idiotic statement.”
But Bzdelik needn’t have bothered with all the backtracking. Guaranteeing a victory against the Bulls isn’t exactly going out on a limb.
Losing for the 22nd straight time in Western Conference arenas, the Bulls were defeated 115-99 before a Pepsi Center crowd of 15,420. The Bulls trailed 72-66 midway through the third quarter but surrendered an 11-2 run and never again threatened.
Eddy Curry led the Bulls in scoring with 21 points but the center had only two rebounds in 31 minutes before fouling out. Jamal Crawford added 20 points.
Kirk Hinrich never found a rhythm after getting whistled for three first-quarter fouls. He finished with 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting.
BYE-BYE BUYOUT: The buyout of Jay Williams’ contract will become official once he signs paperwork in his possession, possibly Friday.
Of far more importance than the roughly $5 million the Bulls will save on his three-year rookie deal is the roster spot it will create. This will give general manager John Paxson flexibility as the Feb. 19 trade deadline approaches.
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Edited by Phillip Thompson (plthompson@tribune.com) and Drew Sottardi (dsottardi@tribune.com)
