The shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks gave the Denver Nuggets all they could handle, even with the return of Nikola Jokic, but it wasn't enough as they were overpowered 127-117. Brook Lopez stepped up in the absence of Giannis and Dame with 26 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while Ryan Rollins had 17 off the bench. Jokic finished his day with a 39-point triple-double (10 assists and 10 rebounds) on 16/25 shooting.
NBA.com Box Score
Game Recap
It was a rough start for the Bucks in the first 2:10 of game time, with Michael Porter Jr. nailing two big three-pointers to give the Nuggets a seven-point lead, forcing Doc Rivers into a timeout. Things didn’t work out for the Bucks much after that, as the Nuggets kept taking it to Milwaukee, increasing their lead to as many as 15 thanks to a 15-4 run with 6:20 to play in the quarter. Yet the Bucks didn’t completely let the game get away early, keeping the deficit within reach thanks to 11 first-quarter points from Brook Lopez. His efforts, including the final basket of the first frame, had the Bucks down 38-27 heading into the second quarter.
Milwaukee would get within single digits several times throughout the early parts of the second, but Porter continued his hot shooting, scoring five early points to put the Nuggets back on top by 11 with 7:22 to play. But Bucks finally made the run they had been looking for, going on an 11-3 run to bring the game within three with 5:03 to play in the quarter. Lopez continued to step up big in the first half, tying the game at 60 with a 27-foot three-pointer. Christian Braun would respond in kind for the Nuggets, but after layups from Taurean Prince and Lopez tied the game with 30 seconds left. Jokic hit a three-ball with 21 seconds to go to give the Nuggets a 67-64 lead heading into halftime.
Denver opened up the second half on a 9-3 run, thanks in part to five quick points from Jamal Murray. After falling behind by seven points, the Bucks made a run and got their first lead of the game, outscoring the Nuggets 15-6 to take a two-point lead with 4:54 to go. Milwaukee would get their lead to as many as five points, but that lead lasted all of 1:15, with Denver tying it at 88 thanks to a corner three from Jokic. The Nuggets kept on coming, with an extended 12-4 run to end the quarter, heading into the final quarter of regulation up on the Bucks 100-92.
The Nuggets kept staving off any comeback attempt by the Bucks, keeping them at arm's length. After the Bucks cut the lead down to four thanks to two layups from Ryan Rollins, the Nuggets swung it back with four straight points from the free-throw line to bring it back to eight. Yet the Bucks just kept on coming back, with the seldom-used Pat Connaughton scoring a layup and a dunk, then AJ Green hit a clutch three to put them within three, but that’s as close as they would get. The Nuggets continued to expand their lead back up to eight with 2:58 to go. The Bucks tried for one final push with Lopez and Rollins hitting shots on back-to-back possessions to make it a three-point game with 2:03 left to play. After a Payton Watson dunk, Porter hit his sixth three of the night with 1:05 left as the dagger in the Bucks’ heart. Murray and Jokic would hit two more shots in the lane to finish out a 9-2 Denver run to end the game.
Stat That Stood Out
Michael Porter Jr. against the Bucks back in February had one of his worst shooting games of the season. He went 5/22 from the field and 2/11 from three-point range and was a -20 in plus/minus. Tonight was a much different story with 23 points on 7/9 shooting from the field and 6/8 from three. He was also a much better +11.
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