DENVER — In a tactic he’s tried dozens of times, Peyton Watson paused during a break in the action and broke the fourth wall, amping up an arena of fans who’ve grown greedy with their team’s start to the season.

They didn’t need the jolt as much as the Denver Nuggets did.

Down as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter, Denver battled back for a brief lead in the last two minutes then coughed it up in a 130-127 loss to the Chicago Bulls Monday at Ball Arena. It snapped a seven-game win streak and ended the Nuggets’ undefeated start at home.

Nikola Jokic went for 36 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists. Jamal Murray fueled the comeback when not much else could, piling on 34 points. Cam Johnson broke out of his slump for 19.

But Kevin Huerter buried a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:25 remaining, and Ayo Dosunmu flushed a Murray turnover the following sequence. Denver got back within one, then David Adelman used his last timeout to challenge an out-of-bounds call. Not enough evidence existed to overturn the play, and Nikola Vucevic sunk a 3 to put Chicago up by two scores on the ensuing inbound.

Jokic air-balled a shot from close to halfcourt as time expired when the Nuggets (10-3) were able to advance the ball one last time without a timeout, thanks to a Chicago foul. All three of their losses this season have been by single digits or in overtime.

And after trailing for a combined 52 seconds after the first quarter in their first six home games, the Nuggets spent the entire last three frames playing from behind Monday.

The context made their first adversity of the year all the more flummoxing. Their visitors arrived with heavy legs after a double-overtime loss in Utah 24 hours earlier. Chicago guard Coby White was out after making his season debut and exceeding his minutes restriction by necessity in the thriller. Playing the back-to-back at altitude seemed like cruel and unusual punishment.

But the Bulls’ bench thoroughly outplayed their starters — and Denver’s at times. Jevon Carter, who didn’t play in nine of their first 12 games, was desperate to prove himself a worthy shot-maker at every touch. Jalen Smith was a more effective big than Nikola Vucevic until he left the game grasping his right shoulder in pain. Dosunmu was dynamic in transition and with his rim pressure.

The Bulls surged to a 50-32 lead with 7:29 to go in the first half before the Nuggets woke up. Once they did, their starters flexed the talent gap with Chicago’s by smoothly putting together a 24-6 run. But they couldn’t stay in that mode after halftime, a reversal of fate after they’ve feasted on teams with third-quarter runs throughout the season.

Jokic had a triple-double by the end of that frame, but the historic efficiency that characterized his last week had faded. He went 13 for 27 on the night and 1 for 7 from 3-point range.

Chicago brought the physicality to him and the Nuggets. Their frustration boiled over late in the third when Adelman crossed the timeline to pick up a technical foul and Tim Hardaway Jr. earned a flagrant 32 seconds later trying to defend in transition.

The Bulls scored 23 points on fast breaks despite their short rest to Denver’s 14.

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