LAS VEGAS — While Cooper Flagg and Bronny James faced off in a packed arena on the campus of UNLV, the Nuggets and Bucks played a Summer League thriller in the sleepy gymnasium next door.
Former Ohio State star EJ Liddell gave Denver the lead with 5.1 seconds left on a put-back slam after Hunter Tyson and DaRon Holmes II missed jump shots, but Milwaukee’s Jamaree Bouyea answered with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to hand the Nuggets a 90-89 loss on Thursday night.
“The defense was phenomenal to get us back in the game,” coach Andrew Munson said. “… Shot goes in. I’d rather have it go out. But proud of our guys, the way they fought in the second half.”
The Nuggets will face Minnesota on Saturday at Cox Pavilion in their second Summer League game.
#### Holmes’ impressive return
As expected, the Nuggets used lineups with Holmes operating as both a four and five. He mostly floated around the floor early in the game, regaining his footing and not getting too involved in the action offensively. But his first touch was a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the left wing against a close-out, setting a confident tone.
Holmes steadily grew more comfortable throughout the night. He tested his physicality and picked up a flagrant foul (and almost a second one). He tried to put the ball on the floor more in the second half. After he drained another above-the-break 3 by trailing the play in transition, he had established some respect from the wings. The next time he picked and popped, he attacked the close-out for a driving layup, looking smooth after leaving his feet.
Holmes wasn’t challenged too much at the defensive end when he switched, but the Nuggets clearly have interest in evaluating his ability to guard smaller players in space. He tacked on an impressive block during a team-leading 15-point night.
He also had reason to laugh at himself when it was all said and done. His late midrange jumper that rimmed out for Liddell seemed awkward and rushed out of Holmes’ hands. Why? “Well I was just confused on the situation,” he said afterward. “I thought we had 0.5 seconds left on the shot clock. You’ll probably never see me shoot something like that again. … Apparently we had like five seconds left. I’m so glad he got that put-back, because it would have looked horrible.”
#### Tyson’s rebounding
Munson said early this week that rebounding would be an emphasis for Tyson in Las Vegas. The third-year wing delivered on that expectation Thursday with 11 boards en route to a double-double.
The problem is that Tyson’s 3-point stroke still seems out of sync. He clanked a few spot-up attempts in rhythm, missing 10 of 14 field goal attempts in the loss.
The Nuggets need him to showcase his off-the-catch ability more than anything else, but if he can at least score in other ways to gain some confidence, they’ll take that as well. On one of the first possessions of the night, he scored out of a post-up, demonstrating his instinct for playing bigger than his size. He also buried a step-back corner 3 and euro-stepped into an and-one. That’s the type of stuff that he won’t have opportunities to do at the NBA level, but it never hurts to show scouts and coaches that he’s capable of it.
#### Spencer Jones’ athleticism
Spencer Jones is the Nuggets’ only two-way player from last season who’s back on the roster this year. From an up-close vantage point, his athleticism and length stood out next to the other Summer League dreamers on Thursday.
His defensive mobility on the wing could make a difference for Denver in regular-season games in 2024-25.
Originally Published: July 10, 2025 at 9:44 PM MDT