Bucks beat Nuggets, flex defensive muscle
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks blocks a shot by Zeke Nnaji #22 of the Denver Nuggets during the second half of a game at Fiserv Forum on February 12, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE - Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points, 18 rebounds and five assists as the Milwaukee Bucks showcased their improved defense by trouncing the Denver Nuggets 112-95 on Monday night.
After losing five of their first six games under new coach Doc Rivers — including a 113-107 defeat at Denver in his debut with Milwaukee — the Bucks have won two straight by a combined margin of 53 points.
This blowout of the reigning NBA champions followed Milwaukee’s most lopsided victory of the season, a 120-84 rout of the Charlotte Hornets. This marks the first time this season the Bucks have allowed fewer than 100 points in back-to-back games.
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Nikola Jokic had 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets, but he didn’t get nearly enough help on a night when two teammates left with injuries. Aaron Gordon scored 14 and Michael Porter Jr. had 11.
Denver’s Jamal Murray scored three points in 18 minutes before sitting out the second half due to shin splints. And, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope played just nine minutes before leaving with tightness in his right hamstring, an issue that had caused him to miss the Nuggets’ last two games.
Damian Lillard scored 18 points for the Bucks, and Bobby Portis added 13 points before getting ejected with 4:54 remaining. Antetokounmpo's 18 rebounds matched his season high.
The Nuggets lost their second in a row. They were playing three nights after a 135-106 loss at Sacramento that snapped a three-game winning streak.
Denver fell behind 13-2 in the first 4½ minutes, but clawed back and led 23-21 after Reggie Jackson’s layup with 1:50 left in the first quarter.
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But the Nuggets got just one more basket during a stretch lasting nearly seven minutes as the Bucks went on a 22-3 run to grab a 43-26 advantage.
Milwaukee pulled ahead by scoring the last seven points of the first quarter while Antetokounmpo and Lillard were on the bench after picking up two early fouls. The Bucks then scored the first seven points of the second period as Antetokounmpo opened the period with a one-handed slam off a pass from Pat Connaughton.
The Bucks closed the 22-3 spurt with a Portis one-handed dunk on a pass from Lillard. Milwaukee led by as many as 22 in the second quarter and went into halftime up 60-44.
Milwaukee extended the lead to 28 in the final minute of the third quarter on another Portis dunk. That dunk led to the first of Portis’ two technical fouls, which resulted in his ejection.