NBA Playoff schedule 2013: Bulls try to close out Nets, Warriors hope to send Nuggets packing

The Denver Nuggets avoided elimination on Tuesday, but they did so with a physicality enough to incite accusations of dirty play from the Golden State Warriors. That storyline closes the two-game Thursday schedule on TNT that includes the Nuggets and Brooklyn Nets attempting to extend their seasons a little longer.

The Nets face the Chicago Bulls in the United Center on Thursday with an 8 p.m. ET tip. After winning Game 1 in impressive fashion, Brooklyn dropped three straight to Chicago and seemingly looked ready to roll over. But that explosive offense that the Nets exhibited in the series-opener resurfaced on Monday, and Brooklyn staved off elimination in a 110-91 rout.

Now, the Nets will have to win on the road to force a Game 7 back in Brooklyn. They'll be doing so with guard Joe Johnson reeling from a plantar fasciitis injury. He admitted on Wednesday that he's essentially playing on one leg, but he told the New York Daily News that he'll continue playing through the pain and acting as a decoy.

Like the Nets, the Nuggets also head into a Game 6 on the road and down 3-2. Denver heads to the Bay Area where they'll face a Warriors team seething about the Nuggets' physical play from a 107-100 victory on Tuesday. The Nuggets and coach George Karl admittedly said they were attempting to knock guard Stephen Curry off his game, but they denied it was "dirty" play as Warriors coach Mark Jackson accused them of after the Game 5 loss.

Whether Denver played dirty or not, Curry struggled against the Nuggets defense. He's averaging 25 points per game through five postseason outings, but he scored just 14 on 7-for-19 shooting in the Golden State loss. Meanwhile, the Nuggets were led by Andre Iguodala, who had his best game of the first-round series by scoring 25, grabbing 12 rebounds and dropping seven dimes.