Bucks 107 - 113 Nuggets summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA
The Bucks came into the night as the top scoring team in the league, but the Nuggets defense shut them down when it mattered most. Gordon had a huge block on Lillard late in the game when Milwaukee was on the verge of tying the game up.
Denver led by as many as 9 in the final quarter, but the Bucks would come roaring back to take the lead with a 13-2 run. Denver withstood the blow and was able to hold off the Bucks in the final few minutes of the game.
Jokic finished the night with 25 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists and had a triple double by the end of the third quarter.
The Nuggets are now 19/21 when Joker has a dunk, and the big man got rewarded for running the floor on a night in which he had another triple double.
Four of the five Nuggets starters were in double digits against the Bucks on a night that Denver shot terribly from downtown. They hit just 4-18 threes but role players KCP and Porter Jr.'s 25 combined points made up for the sluggish shooting from three point range.
One of the big problems with the Bucks over the first half of the season was their defense, and ultimately led to Rivers replacing Adrian Griffin. Milwaukee did a decent job on defense, holding Denver to 113 points, but the Bucks didn't have an answer for Murray who scored 21 of his 35 in the first half.
Murray and the Nuggets would take the lead early in the second quarter, but the lead went back and forth for the final three quarters. No team would lead by more than 13 points the rest of the way.
The Nuggets held Milwaukee scoreless for the final 4:25 of the first quarter and cut the early 13 point lead down to 1. Nikola Jokic didn't have the best of shooting nights, but DeAndre Jordan came off the bench and got some high percentage looks.
Doc Rivers was the headliner in Denver as a battle of MVP's and recent NBA Champions went toe-to-toe from Ball Arena. Doc made his debut as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, but Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets spoiled his big night with a 113-107 win.
The Nuggets came out cold in the first quarter, going down by as many as 13 but Jamal Murray caught fire early and didn't cool off.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!!
The defending champions spoil the Bucks debut with a 113-107 win thanks to another triple double from Nikola Jokic.
Middleton sends KCP to the and he hits both FTs with 11 to go.
Giannis to the line and he hits both FTs.
Timeout Bucks with 24 to go.
Murray to the line after Gordon's block on Lillard and he hits one of two FTs.
Murray from the elbow and he has been money all game long!
Giannis drills a three ball from the top of the key and makes up for the two missed FTs after the Lopez offensive board.
Giannis to the line after the foul on Watson but he misses both FTs with 2:09
Lopez with another three ball!!! His threes are keeping this team in the game.
Jokic with the hook shot down low off the spin move.
Giannis to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Watson.
Murray on the pull up from the elbow and we have a nine point game with 3:16 to go.
Timeout Bucks.
Porter Jr. cuts to the lane and he gets a wide open jam off the Jokic feed.
Porter Jr. slashing to the cup and he finishes with a lay up off the glass.
Timeout Bucks with 4:23 to go.
Murray to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Beasley.
Lopez hits a huge three from way down town and we've got a one point game with 5:00 to go.
Murray on the fade away from the elbow over Beasley.
Lillard to the line after the foul on Gordon and he hits both FTs.
KCP with the pump fake at the elbow and he drills the three ball.
Lillard to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Gordon.
Jokic at the line after the AND 1 and he hits the FT.
Timeout Bucks with 6:56 to go in the 4th quarter.
Jokic running the break and he beat everyone down the floor for the fast break slam!
Murray fouled on the three point attempt by Crowder and he hits all three FTs.
Entry pass to Giannis and he spins off his defender for the slam.
Murray dumps it off to Watson on the baseline for the slam!
Portis with back to back three balls and the Bucks lead by two!
Portis knocks home the three ball from the top of the key and it's a one points game!
Timeout Nuggets with 9:39 to go in the final quarter.
Murray off the screen and he wiggles through the lane for a finger roll.
Payne drills the three pointer from the top of the key and the lead has been cut to two after a 7-0 run.
Portis to the line after the foul on Payne and he hits both FTs.
Giannis driving to the lane and he finishes with the baseline jam!
Jordan starts the quarter with an alley oop off the Jackson lob.
We are at the end of the third quarter with the Nuggets leading by 7. Jokic had 11 in that third quarter as the Bucks were held to 19 points after the halftime break.
Giannis to the line after the foul on Braun and he hits one of two FTs.
Giannis called for the foul and Jokic goes to the line where he hits both FTs.
Connoughton to the line after the foul on Jackson and he hits both FTs.
Watson gets the outlet from Jokic and he makes the tough lay up with a defender draped all over him. That's another triple double for Jokic after the assists to Watson.
Jokic is heating up, He hits the floater after the spin move in the lane.
Connaughton to the line after the foul on Jackson and he hits both FTs.
Jackson going into traffic under the basket and he lays it up off the glass.
Jokic with the floater in the lane off the dump off from Jackson.
Lillard comes out of the timeout and drills the mid range pull up off the pump fake.
Timeout Bucks with 3:55 to go in the third quarter.
Jokic on the spin in the land and the jump hook falls over Lopez.
Jokic to the line after the foul on Middleton and he hits one of two FTs.
Kick out to Porter from Murray and he his the deep two in the corner.
Giannis with the steal and the give and go with Middleton in transition for the power slam!
Giannis to the line after the foul on Gordon and he hits one of two FTs.
Timeout with 6:50 to go in the third quarter.
Gordon fouled by Lillard and he hits both FTs.
Jokic finds KCP underneath and he finishes with the lay in.
Giannis with the lay up from under the basket after backing down Gordon.
Gordon drills a three ball after being dared to take the shot and we are all square here from Denver.
Jokic running the floor and Murray found him streaking for the slam.
Giannis blows by Murray and lays it up and in off the glass.
Beasley with a corner three ball off the kick out from Lopez.
Middleton with the rebound and take it to the elbow for a pull up jumper.
KCP pulls up from the FT line off the handoff from Jokic.
WE ARE BACK IN PLAY FROM DENVER FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!
Neither star is having a crazy night statistically. Giannis has 10, and Jokic has 9 which means there has been plenty of chances for the other guys to make an impact. Lopez has 13 and Lillard has 12.
Murray got hot at the end of the first quarter and went into the halftime break with 21 points.
Jokic had a quiet first half from the field, but the Nuggets got some paint production from down from Jordan.
The Nuggets defense locked down at the end of the opening quarter, holding the Bucks scoreless in the final 4:25 and were able to pull within 1 heading into the second quarter.
Giannis didn't have the ball in his hands much in the first quarter, but did the other things to help his team climb to a 13 point lead in the first few minutes of the game.
The Bucks got off the block quickly thanks to Khris Middleton's hot shooting from DT. He had 10 early points in the first quarter and leads the Bucks with 13 points.
WE ARE HEADED TO HALFTIME WITH THE SCORE TIED AT 56-56!!!
Murray with a pull up jumper from the baseline and he's over 20 in the first half!
Gainnis puts his head down and gets to the basket for the lay up.
Murray pulls up from the paint and he hits short jumper to tie the game up with a minute to go in the half.
Middleton sinks the mid range jumper from the FT line.
Murray laid it up off the glass and Giannis got the block late, called for a goal tending.
Murray with the uncontested drive and he gets the lay up to drop.
Timeout Bucks with 2:46 to go in the first half.
Murray with the jumper off the Jokic ball screen and he leads the Nuggets with 13.
Lillard spots up from the mid range and hits the baseline jumper.
Jokic on the mid range jumper out of the timeout and he is starting to get warm.
Lopez with back to back three balls and the Nuggets need a timeout with 4:09 to go in the first half.
Lopez was left open for three and he drills it as Jokic was late getting there.
Jokic with a short hook shot with the left hand from outside the lane.
Lillard to the line after the foul on Porter. Jr. and he hits both FTs.
Jokic found Porter Jr. wide open and fired a pass to him for the lay up.
Jokic picked up the loose ball and he hit KCP in stride for the fast break lay up.
Lopez off the pick and roll and he floats it up and in from the lane.
Lillard with the offensive boards and Crowder hits the step back three in the corner!
Lillard responds with a three from the top of the key!
Braun with the offensive board, and Watson slashes down the lane for the floater.
Lillard blow by Jordan and hits the reverse lay up on the baseline.
The calls is reversed and DEN get the ball as Giannis is called for the foul for bringing his elbow up and putting it into the body of Jordan.
Braun hits the bank shot from right outside the lane.
Giannis is fouled by Jordan on the lay up but the Nuggets are going to challenge that call.
Murray goes coast to coast off the missed Giannis FT and he finishes acrobatically at the rim!
Giannis with the spin and stretch to the bucket. He gets the lay up to fall AND 1!!! FT is no good.
Jackson pulls up from behind the elbow of the dribble.
Lillard drives under the hoop and hits Connaughton in the corner for three!
Murray to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Portis.
Portis to the line after the foul on Jordan and he hits one of two FTs.
Jordan off the bench and he starts the quarter with a bucket under the basket AND 1!!! FT is good to complete the three point play and the Nuggets are in the lead.
We are at the end of the first quarter with the Nuggets down just one after a 12-0 run to end the quarter. Denver's last basket was with 4:25 left on the first quarter clock.
Middleton had a quick 10 points to start the night, and Giannis added another six.
Murray got the Nuggets going with a couple quick buckets out of the timeout. He leads Denver with 7, Jokic has 5.
Jackson drills the three off the dribble and it's a 10-0 run from Denver to close out the quarter!
Murray drills the fader over Connaughton and he hits it with the shot clock widing down.
Porter Jr. with a deep three ball and the Nuggets and they are on a 7-0 run out of the timeout.
Jackson on the pick and roll and he drills the mid range jumper from the FT line.
Jackson fouled by Payne on the drive to the bucket and he hits both FTs.
Timeout Nuggets with 3:36 to go in the first quarter.
Middleton with another spot up from the mid range and he is on fire here in this first quarter.
KCP on the pull up from the baseline and he hits it over Beasley.
Middleton off the curl and he hits the elbow jumper.
Giannis puts his head down and gets to the iron for the slam.
Jokic punches back with a three ball as the big guys start to get warmed up from deep.
Lopez drills a three ball from the top of the key.
Murray comes out of the timeout and gets the lay up to fall.
Giannis extends the play by batting out an offensive rebound to the perimeter and Middleton found Lillard for a deep three!
Timeout Nuggets with 7:35 to go in the 1st quarter.
Lopez puts it on the deck and lays it off the glass.
Gordon missed his lay up but tipped it up and in.
Gordon to the line after the foul on Giannis and he hits one of two FTs.
Beasley gets into the lane and hits the floater off the assist from Giannis.
Middleton with the pull up from downtown and he gets it to drop for his second straight deep ball.
Murray to the rack and he gets the foul AND 1!!! FT is good to get the Nuggets on the board.
Middleton was left open in the corner and h drills the three ball! Hot start from Milwaukee.
Giannis back on the board after Porter lost it on one end and the Green scooped it and got the lay up.
Giannis starts us off with a deep two point jumper from the top of the key.
WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM DENVER AND THE DOC RIVERS ERA HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN IN MILWAUKEE!
Nuggets starters
Mike Malone has been consistent with his starting five all season. No need to change things up tonight with one of the best teams in the league coming to town. The Nuggets start the night with Murray, KCP, Porter Jr., Gordon and of course Nikola Jokic down low.
Bucks starters
The Bucks aren't broke, so there is no need to fix them. Doc Rivers isn't pulling any punches with his first starting five as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. It's Giannis, Beasley, Lillard, Middleton and Lopez starting in Denver.
Doc to debut tonight
Something wasn’t right in Milwaukee for the first half of the season. It could have been the Xs and Os. It could have been the relationship with the players. It could have been the lack of effort put in on the defensive side of the ball. After just three months the Bucks made the move to let Adrian Griffin go, and Doc Rivers is the chosen one to step in on the sidelines at Fiserv Forum. Rivers has won an NBA title with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics back in 2008, but since then things haven’t quite gone Doc’s way whether it be in Boston, LA, or Philly. He is growing notorious for blowing leads in playoff series. If you don’t believe me, just have a look at this tweet.
NBA Standings
Taking a look at the NBA standings more than halfway through the season, we see both of these two teams at the top of their respective conferences. The Nuggets come into the night in 4th place in the West despite having the same amount of wins as the conference leading Timberwolves and Thunder, but have won more loss than those two teams which has allowed the Clippers to creep slip between them and leaders. The Bucks made a coaching change midway through the season after a 30-13 start to Adrian Griffin’s first year in Milwaukee. It may not have been exactly the start to the season that Bucks fans were hoping for after uniting two of the league’s biggest stars, but they are still just three games behind the Celtics who have the best record in the league. The Bucks know how important home court will be in the East, and will be aiming on closing in on the C’s with Rivers as their head coach.
Dame and Giannis working out kinks
It’s was the deal of the offseason. The blockbuster of the summer. After much speculation of where Damian Lillard might end up, the Bucks front offices made a shock move to bring in the long time Trail Blazer to join forces with Giannis Antetokounmpo. By no means have the first 40+ games gone poorly for the newest power duo in the league, but Dame and the Greek Freak are still figuring out how to play with each other. Lillard is still averaging 25.3 points a game, and shooting right around his career average of 43% from the field, but the concern comes more on the defensive side of the ball. The Bucks shipped Jrue Holiday to Boston, which made room for Lillard to come to Milwaukee, but in shipping away their former point guard they lost the intensity he brings to the defensive side of the game, and have yet to recover it.
The perfect wingman
The Nuggets are going for a back to back bid after winning their first title in franchise history, and they have the same supporting cast that got them to the NBA Finals last year. Obviously Jokic and Murray are the superstars, but Michael Porter Jr.’s ability to stretch a defense with his outside shooting is one of the most overlooked parts of this Denver team. Murray and Porter missed considerable time in the seasons before the Nuggets title run, and once they came back Murray’s presence in the starting five was the headline, but MPJ’s return was the difference maker. He is averaging 16 ppg and shooting 40% from three point range, both right around his career average. The Nuggets know just how important he is to their success and will look to get him going tonight against another Eastern Conference giant that visits town tonight.
Nuggets last game
The Nuggets played host to the Philadelphia 76ers, but unfortunately for fans in Denver and basketball fans all over the world Joel Embiid sat out yet another game in the Mile High City in what would have been a battle of the league’s best big men. The two teams went back and forth as the lead never crept above 10 points, but the Nuggets were able to hold off the MVP-less Sixers who hit just 6 of 22 three pointers. Jokic had 26 and 16 rebounds while Jamal Murray had 23 points as the game went down to the wire. The game was tied at 96 with 4:22 to go but Nikola Jokic had 7 of the last 15 Nuggets points to earn Denver their 32nd win of the season.
Bucks last game
It was the Bucks final game before Doc Rivers took over on the sidelines and Milwaukee gave one of their most resounding performances of the season. Zion Williams and the Pelicans came to town, but were no match for the Bucks who took a 10 point lead midway through the second quarter, and stretched that lead out to as much as 34 in the second half. Four Bucks players had 20+ points, with Giannis’ 30 leading the way. Lillard had 26, Lopez had 24 and Portis had 20 off the bench as the Bucks eased to a 141-117 victory.
We are live from Ball Arena
Hello everyone and welcome to the Mile High City where the Denver Nuggets are coming off a big win over one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. They are hanging around the top of the West, trying to keep pace with the up and coming Thunder and Timberwolves while the Bucks are one of the best teams in the league but made a midseason coaching change, firing Adrain Griffin last week and appointing Doc Rivers as their head coach. Rivers makes his debut on the sidelines tonight from Ball Arena.
Bucks vs. Nuggets
Two of the top teams in the league and two of the league’s biggest stars take the stage tonight from Denver. Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo haven’t just been two of the best players in the league, they have made their teams two of the top teams in the NBA. The Nuggets and the Milwaukee Bucks have won two of the last three NBA titles and will square off tonight from Ball Arena and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s heavyweight battle.