MILWAUKEE — One of the Nuggets’ toughest back-to-backs of the season began with a game that slipped through their fingers.
Nikola Jokic amassed an efficient 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, but Denver couldn’t help him enough in a 121-112 loss to the Bucks on Thursday at Fiserv Forum.
Now the Nuggets (38-21) must fly to Detroit to face a team that has won eight in a row — the Pistons’ longest streak in almost 20 years.
Denver put together a late 9-2 run to close the gap to 111-106, but Giannis Antetokounmpo scored the next four points, sandwiching a Jokic turnover. Antetokounmpo finished with 28 points, 19 boards, seven assists and an outstanding block from behind on Aaron Gordon.
“Giannis is such a unique player,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said pregame. “The list of (stats) that he’s No. 1 in, in the entire NBA, is pretty impressive. … He by himself puts so much pressure on your defense, in transition, in the halfcourt. … You have to show him a crowd. No one can guard him one-on-one.”
Denver was able to contain him to an 11-for-23 shooting night, but the four starters around him had each scored in double figures by the end of the third quarter. That was the difference in the game. Role players fell quiet in unison for the Nuggets in an unusual game for their offense.
Gordon and Russell Westbrook were 4 of 13 from the field. Christian Braun was 5 of 11 — low for his standards — with a couple of bad misses at the rim. Most notably, Michael Porter Jr. went 4 of 21, falling to 20% from three since the All-Star break.
The Nuggets doubled up Milwaukee on fast-break points, won the paint by 26 and the rebounding battle by 10. They shot 26.5% from the 3-point line and only got to the foul line nine times.
Malone took an early timeout after they fell behind 14-5, but they were able to steady themselves with a jolt from Westbrook off the bench. He scored eight quick points, including a put-back on the offensive glass while he was getting fouled. Jokic scored 16 of his points in the first frame to make up for uncharacteristically sloppy finishing from teammates. Even after Damian Lillard’s 3 at the buzzer, Denver had worked it back to a 30-30 tie.
After the bench unit won its minutes to start the second quarter, the game seemed ready to tip in Denver’s direction. But the Bucks stuck around. None of the Nuggets’ starters other than Jokic had it going. Porter was particularly cold, missing open 3s that are usually automatic for him.
Even as the missed opportunities caught up with Denver throughout the third, Milwaukee couldn’t quite make a debilitating run. Jokic was roundly jeered after fouling Antetokounmpo hard in transition, sending him to the line with a chance to go up seven. But he missed both free throws. Jokic scored at the other end — the kind of four-point momentum swing that could buoy the Nuggets most nights.
Just not this one. They trailed 84-83 after scoring on their first possession of the fourth quarter. That’s when the Bucks finally landed a blow. AJ Green knocked down a pair of 3-pointers — his first made shots of the night — in an 8-0 run. Denver didn’t have the scoring to recover.
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