The Denver Nuggets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 102-100 in a game that showed the different trajectories of both squads. Down four starters plus Peyton Watson and Jonas Valanciunas, the Nuggets were extremely short-handed on the second half of a back-to-back. Denver built a 23-point early fourth quarter lead but then coughed up almost all of it late as they played bad basketball down the stretch, yet still found a way to win even after Aaron Gordon left after the first half with another hamstring injury. Gordon had 13 points and 6 boards in that first half, and held Giannis in check as well. Julian Strawther had 20 points to pace the Nuggets to the win in a welcome return to form, while Tim Hardaway Jr. added 17 and Bruce Brown had 15. Jalen Pickett’s 7 assists helped set the tone along with his crucial 13 points as Denver won on the road without their top 7 players.
Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 22 points for the Bucks, including sparking that late 20-4 run by the Bucks, but he had to sit the final minutes with ice on his calf as Milwaukee came up just short. Ryan Rollins added 21 points and Myles Turner put in 17 but nobody could fully put their imprint on the contest as Denver built that big lead without nearly every player that is expected to get playoff minutes for them in the second half. But Denver won anyway, while the Bucks found another way to lose. Denver heads to Memphis with few healthy bodies but a winning streak intact – and at this point the Nuggets just have to keep finding these ways to win.
Game Flow
Myles Turner opened the scoring for the Bucks at the bucket, but Zeke Nnaji and Aaron Gordon each hit three-pointers for Denver. AG had a bad turnover that led to 1-of-2 from the free throw line for former Nugget Gary Harris. Spencer Jones traded missed threes with Myles Turner, and Gordon was fouled on a three and made two free throws. Giannis got a dunk after a couple of offensive boards by the Bucks, then got himself to the line in transition for two points. Julian Strawther finished at the rim, then the teams traded missed threes and Giannis lost the ball to lead to a Gordon paint finish. Jalen Pickett missed a three but Ryan Rollins made one for the Bucks and Turner made a long turnaround to get it to 12-12 halfway through the quarter. Spencer Jones made a bucket on a Giannis goaltend, then Denver got back-to-back steals that turned into Bruce Brown transition finishes to force a timeout. Amir Coffey and Cole Anthony fired back for the Bucks but both teams exchanged airballs and poor shots as Giannis and AG went to the bench. DaRon Holmes came in and immediately hit a three. Anthony finished a bucket for Milwaukee, Bruce had his shot blocked and Tim Hardaway Jr. missed a three badly. Anthony made a jumper in the final seconds and the teams went to the second tied at 21-21.
Bruce Brown scored the first bucket of the second quarter with another nice finish. THJ badly missed another three, leading to a Kyle Kuzma paint bucket. THJ took that idea and went down the paint for a dunk, but Kuzma got a free throw and Bobby Portis made a three that put the Bucks up 27-25. Amir Coffey hit a three, Julian Strawther and DaRon Holmes missed theirs, but a Holmes rebound led to a Bruce three. Curtis Jones came off the bench for Denver and immediately hit a three on the wing. Turner and Giannis came back in and affected Denver with size though, with a Turner finish and tip-in and a Giannis dunk. Pickett missed a three but finished some tough jumpers the next two times down. AG got called for an offensive foul on a charge with Denver down 37-36 but it was overturned to a bucket-and-one on review, then Spencer Jones buried a three to get Denver a two-bucket lead. Giannis made free throws and Myles Turner got his own traditional three-point play to tie it up, but a great bounce pass from Pickett to Gordon for another three points, then a hooking foul on Giannis led to a Pickett three and a 48-42 Denver lead at halftime.
Aaron Gordon might have tweaked his hamstring again and did not come out for the start of the third quarter, with Holmes taking his place. Strawther finished a couple of nice drives, but Harris and Turner each hit threes and then Turner blocked Nnaji’s shot the other way. Holmes and Rollins traded missed threes, and Julian Strawther got fouled shooting a three. Turner fired back with a bucket and Kuzma made a runner, but Strawther and Pickett fired back in transition and Denver stayed up 59-53. Rollins hit a shot for the Bucks, Strawther made another three then hit a bank shot in transition and Pickett finished a layup after a Spence block. A transition dunk from Nnaji boosted the lead to 68-55 Denver and forced a timeout from Milwaukee. Kuzma scored to stop the run but Strawther was fouled again shooting a three and made all his free throws. Denver bricked a few threes in a row but Bruce grabbed a deflection and got to the foul line. After a brutal game Tim Hardaway finally hit a three in the waning seconds and then hit his second big dunk of the night and Denver went to the fourth up 78-63.
Tim Hardaway Jr. made a three to open the final frame, then hit two free throws the next time down to put Denver up 20. Curtis Jones ran the point to get THJ another assist as he was suddenly hot from three, but after Giannis hit free throws Curtis missed a three of his own. Portis hit a three for Milwaukee, then Giannis and Rollins made baskets and Denver called a timeout up 88-73. Bruce Brown nailed a corner three out of the break, and had a great finish at the bucket too. Rollins and Nnaji traded paint buckets, but Denver missed a couple of great looks while Giannis got back to the line as Denver lead 95-82 with just under 4 minutes to go. Denver struggled against the sudden zone from Milwaukee while Giannis cut the lead to 8 with free throws and a reverse layup on a 10-0 run. Nnaji finally stopped that run with a paint bucket with two minutes to go, but Giannis went right back to the line on yet another cheap foul call. A Denver turnover turned into a Portis three and the lead was just 5 for Denver. Nnaji went to the line and made both. Zeke missed on one end where he was fouled but ran back to get a block at the other end. Ryan Rollins hit a three out of a timeout to finish a 20-4 run, but Tim Hardaway got fouled at the other end and made both free throws. Rollins buried a three, Pickett made 1-of-2 from the line, and Kuzma pulled up early to miss a 40-footer as Denver escaped with the victory 102-100 while Giannis was forced to sit at the end with ice on his calf.
Final Thoughts
-Julian Strawther and Bruce Brown had terrific games right when Denver needed them. Scary final minutes of the game aside it was a great and needed win and it was wing-driven in the second half. Julian, who missed a chunk of time with a back injury and then found himself on the fringe of the rotation without a way to work off the rust, looked fast and fit today. Springy, quick on the drive, a ready and willing shooter who finished at the rim and made his free throws. He kept his head up and found teammates for assists and grabbed some tough boards. He looked really good tonight, as did Bruce Brown. Bruce finally finished his drives both in the half court and in transition which had been a problem in previous games, and Denver was getting assists on 3/4 of its shots thanks to good ball movement and looking for one another. Tim Hardaway Jr. finding his three point shot in the second half was great for the future, but Denver getting its reserve wings functioning again will help the Nuggets fly a little higher as they head toward the All-Star Break.
-Aaron Gordon leaving after the first half with a hamstring issue – again – was a real kick in the teeth. He looked angry, I was angry for him, and there are no good solutions. Hopefully it’s a very minor thing with some stretching of scar tissue but, he’s probably going to be out past the All-Star Break at this point just as a precaution. That means more time for Zeke Nnaji and DaRon Holmes II, but it also means one more starter that Denver doesn’t have available and which will put even more strain on the remaining available roster. Heal fast and well, Aaron – and please don’t rush back. The Nuggets need you in April, May and June, and that’s the only thing that matters at the moment.
