Both streaks continued tonight as the Denver Nuggets lost their 6th straight and the Milwaukee Bucks won their 6th straight, beating Denver 120-109. Prior to this matchup, the Nuggets were 7-3 in their last 10 games against the Bucks but they did not have the MVP with them tonight. The effort was there but the defensive production was not. Every time the Nuggets went on a run to cut the lead, Milwaukee calmly responded with consecutive baskets. They maintained the lead throughout the entirety of the game achieving complete domination tonight.
Facu Campazzo was the bright spot for Denver. He collected his season high with 16 points off the bench and increased the pace when Denver was sluggish. None of the Bucks players seemed to struggle tonight. As a team, they shot an astounding 63% from the field and 48.5% from three. Up next is a battle on the road against the Miami Heat, Monday at 5:30 PM.
1st Quarter
After a Milwaukee 5-0 run to start the game, Denver got aggressive towards the basket with layups from Barton and Gordon
Malone’s first timeout of the game came at the 8:43 mark following a Grayson Allen three. Milwaukee shot 5-6 from the field and 2-3 from three to gain a 12-4 lead
The Nugget offense went stagnant as the Bucks stretched their lead to 13. There was little ball movement, few cutters, and several isolation possessions
Much of the same continued throughout the quarter. Milwaukee’s lead expanded to 16 and with 4:00 minutes left in the quarter, Denver could only muster 8 points
Vlatko Cancar got some early minutes. He hit Denver’s only three of the quarter and helped the Nuggets come within 11 at the end of the period
Score: 27-16 Bucks
Scoring leaders: Giannis/Middleton/Holiday – 6, Barton – 6
2nd Quarter
Both teams went to a zone defense in the second but Milwaukee’s seemed to be the most effective. Vlatko hit another three but the Bucks responded and increased their lead to 17
The first 4 minutes of the quarter was filled with three-point attempts. Denver’s offense did start to heat up as they hit four threes, but the Bucks offense remained relentless
The Nugget offense found a consistent rhythm and cut the lead to just ten after being down 17 twice. Facu Campazzo led the charge with two threes and feisty defense at the other end
Both Green’s hit shots to shrink the lead to single digits at 48-43. JaMychal hit a jumpshot at the top of the key and Jeff knocked down a three
Middleton and Connaughton gave the Bucks a mini 8-0 run. They each hit a three to recover their double digit lead
Score: 58-47 Bucks
Scoring leaders: Giannis/Middleton – 11, Campazzo – 11
3rd Quarter
Bobby Portis played some effective minutes throughout the game. He blocked his third shot of the game just minutes into the quarter
Milwaukee shot 4-5 to start the quarter but Denver hung in there by shooting 4-7 and kept the lead within single digits
Denver could not get their defense in concert their offense. They would hit a couple shots to dwindle the lead but it was immediately reciprocated by the Bucks just about every time
Problems began to snowball for the Nuggets towards the end of the third quarter. They were not getting the calls they desired, Giannis exposed Nnaji in the paint, and they could not capitalize off Milwaukee turnovers
The Bucks went on a 22-8 run to end the quarter. Giannis, Holiday, and Connaughton were the catalysts in the quarter, helping the Bucks obtain their largest lead of the game at 19
Score: 90-73 Bucks
Scoring leaders: Giannis – 20, Morris/Barton – 15
4th Quarter
Facu changed the tempo at the beginning of the quarter. He increased Denver’s pace of play and it resulted in a quick 7-0 run to decrease the lead to 12
The Bucks kept the foot on the gas every time they hit a little adversity. Once the Nuggets shrunk the lead, Giannis controlled the next couple minutes on both ends of the floor
Back to back turnovers helped the Nuggets climb back within 13. Milwaukee committed 16 turnovers to that point but their offense was too dominant for Denver to gain a true chance to acquire the lead
Jrue Holiday was a very calming presence for Milwaukee tonight. There were several times where the Nuggets had a little momentum, but Holiday would restore order with a couple baskets to reclaim the momentum
The game was firmly out of grasp when George Hill glided to the rim to extend their lead to 20. Seconds after, all the subs entered as Denver finally waived the white flag
Score: 120-109 Bucks
Scoring leaders: Giannis – 24, Gordon – 18
Stat Leaders
Points: Giannis – 24
Assists: Morris – 8
Rebounds: Giannis – 13
Silent Hero of the Game: Pat Connaughton – 20 points, 4 rebounds on 7-8 shooting and 4-5 from three
