Denver @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 30, 2017 ) Chicago 110, Denver 111

The Denver Nuggets put up 141 points at Miami on Monday and still couldn't escape with a win, and they are falling off the pace in the Western Conference playoff race. The Nuggets will try to put in a little more work on the defensive end and get back in the win column when they continue the road trip by visiting the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.

Denver dropped back-to-back games and two of its last three, including a 149-141 double-overtime loss at Miami, to fall two games behind the eighth-place Minnesota Timberwolves in the West entering play on Tuesday. "I feel awful for our guys," Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters after the loss to the Heat. "They did everything they could to try to get this win for us tonight, only to come up a little bit short." Denver fell to 11-23 on the road with Monday's loss and dropped the first two of the current seven-game trip, beginning with a 101-94 loss at lowly Memphis on Saturday. Chicago last beat a team with a winning record on Feb. 9 with a 114-113 triumph over Minnesota and is coming off a 110-92 loss at the New York Knick on Monday.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), NBCS Chicago

ABOUT THE NUGGETS (38-33): Denver allowed Miami to go 20-of-36 from 3-point range in Monday's loss, squandering an offensive effort that saw four different players score at least 22 points. "It hurts," forward Paul Millsap told reporters. "We worked so hard. Go double overtime and end up losing the game. But, there's still hope. We've still got a few more games on this road trip; games that we've got to get. But the door is not slammed yet. We've still got hope. We've just got to get out there and take care of business." Millsap was the lone starter to miss out on the 20-point plateau and finished with 14 as the team fell to 5-6 since he returned from a broken wrist.

ABOUT THE BULLS (24-46): Chicago is fighting for draft position at this point and is not willing to risk any long-term injury to their young players, leading to a situation on Monday where guards Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine and forward Lauri Markkanen were all held out. Center Cristiano Felicio scored a career-high 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting but the rest of the team shot 30.5 percent from the floor. "I don't think we're going to have to worry about them throwing this on NBA Classic anytime soon," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters. "When that ball doesn't go in the hoop, it's ugly out there. We got our young guys some good quality minutes."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Nuggets SG Gary Harris (knee) sat out the first two games of the road trip and is not expected to play Wednesday.

2. Bulls SG Justin Holiday is 0-of-8 from 3-point range over the last two games.

3. Denver took the last four in the series, including a 111-110 home win on Nov. 30.

PREDICTION: Nuggets 122, Bulls 107