As the Bucks looked to get a winning streak after the win against the Knicks, Antetokounmpo’s team was caught off guard by Nikola Jokic and co.
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The Denver Nuggets ran through the Bucks in Milwaukee Sunday night. In what could turn out to be a repeat for the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets are now 28-21 and sit at the fifth in the Western conference table.
Last night they improved to 4-0 on a six-game trip and matched their longest winning streak of the season. Turning around their rather unsteady start to the season, they have won 6 out of their last 7 games.
Depending mostly upon “the Joker” in most games, the Denver team has done well enough without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Both Aron Gordon and Will Barton have complemented the 2021 MVP well, with each of them getting at least 14-15 points a game to go along with Jokic’s 26 ppg.
They have cruised through many good teams when one other Nuggets player besides the Serbian giant had 20 points more. This game against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co turned out to be one such game.
It rained buckets in Milwaukee as Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets went wild
In the battle of the MVPs, Nikola Jokic had a rare under-20 point game, while Giannis had a 29-9-2 game. But with Aron Gordon’s 24, Monte Morris’ 18 and Will Barton’s 15 points, Denver thrashed Milwaukee 136-100.
The best passing big man in the league didn’t have a quiet game either, the Joker came up with an 18-point double-double. One rebound short of a triple-double, he led the game in assists (15) picking up open teammates throughout the game. Even Nuggets’ Twitter handle joined in on the action.
Grab your umbrellas, it’s raining threes in Milwaukee‼️
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 31, 2022
In a free-flowing game, Denver had 8/10 players shooting well over 50% both from the field and the 3-point line. While Will Barton and Ben Forbes went 2/3 from the downtown, youngsters Nah’Shaun Hayland and Marcus Howard had 3 three-pointers each.
Gordon and Morris both sunk 4 threes each, while Jokic (2/4) and Austin Rivers (2/6) scored 2 each, and JaMychal Green had one making it a season-high — 53% shooting night from the deep for the Nuggets team.
No player in their team had a negative ‘+/-‘ at the end of the game, while none of the Bucks players ended up with a positive plus-minus.
This Nuggets team might not make it out of the West in the Playoffs but is surely capable of making some massive noise even without two of their 3 major scorers.
