CHICAGO >> Nikola Jokic made it to the final buzzer without getting thrown out this time, but Serbian Heritage Night at the United Center had an unhappy ending again for the reigning MVP.

Jokic went for 33 points and 14 assists, but the Nuggets dropped their second consecutive game on the road, 129-121, to the Bulls on Monday night. Chicago was 45% from the 3-point line on 53 attempts. Denver (28-18) was 22% on 27 attempts.

“You let a team hang around, you let a team hang around, and in that third quarter going into the fourth quarter, they literally just drove the ball down our throats,” coach Michael Malone said. “And rebounded, and went drive-and-kick three … all because we couldn’t guard the ball or wouldn’t get back.”

The Nuggets went into this road trip playing their best basketball of the season, but in the last five games, they rank 23rd in the NBA with a 116.2 defensive rating. They’re headed into Madison Square Garden next to face the Knicks, who scored 145 on Denver two months ago and 143 on Memphis on Monday night.

The Bulls seized control with a 12-0 run late in the third quarter, taking a 90-88 lead after Denver’s only made field goals from the eight-minute mark to the two-minute mark were three dunks and a layup. That had been enough to get the job done in the first half when the Nuggets outscored Chicago 50-14 in the paint and 20-0 on fast breaks. But none of their jump shots were falling, and that eventually caught up with them against an opponent that ranks second in 3-point attempts this season.

“Gotta guard guys one-on-one, and then they were getting past us and spraying it. We’ve gotta do a lot of things better on that end,” Christian Braun said. “That’s not how we were playing. … But for the last two games, we’ve been really bad pretty much in every spot on defense.”Ayo Dosunmu drove for a go-ahead layup on the first possession of the fourth quarter to ignite another haymaker run, this time 13-0. Malone was using an eight-man rotation, ending a 25-game streak of games played for DeAndre Jordan because, Malone said afterward, he wanted to try Aaron Gordon at the backup five. It was a playoff-style iteration of the second unit, but it lacked the collective tenacity necessary to get rebounds against Chicago’s ultra-young lineup.

The Bulls scored six of their 17 second-chance points against that lineup early in the frame.

“When they did miss, we had five guys just standing, watching and not in the fight at all,” Malone said. “That team played so much harder than us.”

Braun tried to will the Nuggets back into it, turning in one of his best games of the season: 28 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. But Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. both had inefficient nights, while the Bulls’ shot-makers made theirs. Twice, the Nuggets cut the deficit to three in the last three minutes, only for Zach LaVine to answer with a 3-pointer of his own.

“We missed some good looks. I missed some good looks,” Murray said. “… They found a little rhythm, and it was hard for us to find ours. One thing kind of cascaded to another.”

LaVine scored 21 to lead his team, thanks to the late burst. Lonzo Ball added four 3s in an 18-point outing. Even at halftime, when the Nuggets led 68-61, the Bulls were 12 for 26 beyond the arc. Denver’s perimeter rotations and contests weren’t good

enough all night.

Jokic had an astronomical four dunks, including one in transition on which he appeared to cock back his right arm before throwing it down. He made his first 11 shots from the floor and didn’t miss until late in the third — appropriate timing to coincide with Chicago taking over.