Few teams can match the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets when it comes to having multiple long, athletic big men, but you can bet other teams will try to copy the game plan the Lakers and Nuggets successfully used to produce blowout wins against the Bulls in the last two games.

Simply put, the Bulls were pushed around by both teams. That was especially true in the fourth quarter Saturday night as the Nuggets broke open a tight game for a 112-93 rout thanks to a 37-22 advantage in the fourth.

“We just have to be tougher,” guard Kirk Hinrich said. ”It seems like the last couple of games [the officials] are just letting a lot go. We have to have a feel for how they’re calling the game and adjust to it. We have to go out there and do what it takes.”

Center Joakim Noah, who saw his double-double streak snapped at six games against the Nuggets (10 points, eight rebounds), said the Bulls have no one to blame but themselves.

”We weren’t tough; we weren’t tough at all,” he said. ”We definitely got roughed up, but it has nothing to do with the refs. That’s not an excuse. That’s more on us. We have to step it up.”

It wasn’t only the Bulls’ big men who were pushed around. When Denver turned up the defensive intensity, the Bulls became passive with too much stationary dribbling and standing around.

”They got us back on our heels a little bit,” Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. ”I think our ball movement has to be sharp, and we have to get the ball from strong to weak, be aggressive and attack.”

”We’ll make some adjustments, and we’ll try to get better. That’s all you can do with young guys. We have to give a better effort, give a total game effort next time.”