DENVER – Two of basketball’s greatest players and most successful teams in recent years went head-to-head Monday night at Ball Arena, and they didn’t disappoint in a 113-107 Denver Nuggets victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver’s Nikola Jokić (two regular season MVPs and one NBA Finals MVP each) headlined the matchup, but the game was a close, back-and-forth affair that could easily be called a championship preview.
Box score:Nuggets 113, Bucks 107
Unfortunately for Milwaukee (32-15) – which was playing for the first time with Doc Rivers as head coach – Denver (33-15) made a handful of more plays in the final minutes to seal it, from clutch Jamal Murray jumpers to an Aaron Gordon block of a Damian Lillard layup late.
Strong team defense made Antetokounmpo and Jokić work for what they got offensively, and the final moments of the game were determined by the fact the Bucks began to foul defensively (six in a five-minute stretch) and then couldn’t make a shot after taking a 90-88 lead with 8:19 to go.
Two Brook Lopez three-pointers and an Antetokounmpo triple were the only field goal attempts to find the bottom of the net for Milwaukee from that point on – but the Bucks turned in a vintage defensive effort to remain connected until the final seconds.
Denver’s defense was just as solid, limiting Lillard to 18 points on 5 of 13 shooting and Malik Beasley to five on 2 of 9 shooting.
The Bucks did a good job on Jokić, even though he finished with a 25-point, 16-rebound, 12-assist triple-double. With Lopez taking the brunt of the responsibility, followed by Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis and assorted double-teams, Jokić was held to 10 of 25 shooting and five free throw attempts.
Antetokounmpo couldn’t find many creases in the Nuggets defense, scoring 29 points on 11 of 19 shooting. He had 12 rebounds and four assists.
Jamal Murray shakes loose for big night
Milwaukee has struggled against opposing team’s star guards all season long and Monday was no different as Denver’s Jamal Murray scored a game-high 35 points on 13 of 22 shooting – including 14 in the decisive fourth quarter. Murray was 4-for-5 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free throw line in 10 minutes of action, and consistently delivered key baskets to keep the Bucks at arm’s length.
More:Establishing an identity and leveling up: Why Doc Rivers was the choice for the Bucks
Benches struggle for both teams
Bobby Portis didn’t make his first basket until the 9-minute-39-second mark of the third quarter after he missed his first nine attempts. Cameron Payne hit a three-pointer in the fourth quarter as well. Theirs were just the third and fourth field goals the Bucks’ four-man bench unit had made to that point and it got the Bucks back in the game from a nine-point deficit. The second group was just 5 of 20 overall and 5 of 13 from behind the three-point line for 22 points.
Denver’s four-man bench combined for 20 points on 8 of 15 shooting.
Portis had nine points and 12 rebounds while Reggie Jackson led the Nuggets bench with nine points and five assists.
Did you notice?
In the second quarter Lillard ran a two-man game with Portis and as Lillard began his drive down the lane off Portis’ screen, he waved for Portis to follow him to the basket. It initially appeared as if Lillard might dump the ball off to a diving Portis for a lay-in, but Portis’ movement attracted some help and left Pat Connaughton wide open in the corner. At the last moment, an airborne Lillard zipped the pass to Connaughton, who knocked down the three-pointer. It tied the game at 30 with 10:37 to go in the first half.
5 numbers
- 3 Khris Middleton’s rank in franchise history for minutes played and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s rank for steals. Middleton 22,067 passed Hall of Famer Sidney Moncrief (22,054) against Denver while Antetokounmpo passed Moncrief against New Orleans on Jan. 27. Middleton should pass Hall of Famer Bob Dandridge (22,094) in the near future. Antetokounmpo now has 876 and trails only Paul Pressey (894) and Quinn Buckner (1,042).
- 10-Second violation called on Antetokounmpo with the Bucks down 108-102 with 2:09 to play. He missed the second. It was the third time this season he’s been whistled for that infraction.
- 13 Bucks turnovers, resulting in 15 Nuggets points. It was the difference in the game late, as the Bucks only had two turnovers in the first half.
- 30-Point difference in paint scoring in favor of the Nuggets, which scored 56. Milwaukee had 26.
- 400 Career victories for Denver coach Michael Malone with the win.
Giannis Antetokounmpo named Eastern Conference player of the week
For the second time this season and 23rd time in his career, Antetokounmpo was named the Eastern Conference player of the week for the games played Jan. 22-28. The Bucks went 3-1 in those games and he nearly averaged a triple-double with 29.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 8.3 rebounds. He also notched 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest.
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