Bucks 121, Nuggets 114: Perimeter lift from Brook Lopez key in victory at Denver
DENVER - It took Brook Lopez doing his best Stephen Curry impression, a gutty fourth-quarter comeback and perfect execution down the stretch, but the Milwaukee Bucks (10-3) ended their West Coast trip with a huge victory, beating the Denver Nuggets, 121-114, Sunday night at Pepsi Center.
The Bucks, coming off an overtime loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday, entered a tough scheduling matchup at altitude in Denver on no rest bent on proving they aren't the team that failed to finish the job a day earlier at Staples Center. As they have each time this season, they dug deep and came away with a win immediately after a loss.
“I think the response today by our group was what we’re looking for," coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Getting better, competing, all those things that are kind of our mantras. So I think it was a great effort. It was a high-level NBA game.”
Lopez was the star of the night for the Bucks, which won in Denver for the first time since 2010. He had 28 points and nailed a career-high eight three-pointers on 13 attempts, including going 6 of 7 in the third quarter alone as he put up treys of exceedingly higher difficulty, prompting the Denver crowd to collectively let out an, "Oh no" every time he went to fire.
On the court, that barrage led to something Lopez had never experienced and something his teammates had never seen. The Nuggets opted to faceguard Lopez on multiple possessions, picking up the 7-footer near half court.
“Man, it’s a sight to see a big shoot like that," Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe said. "It was exciting, man. Steph and Klay (Thompson) look out.”
Despite Lopez's unbelievable third-quarter shooting display and an 11-point lead heading into the final 12 minutes, the Bucks found themselves battling from behind late the fourth. That's because Denver's energetic, bench-heavy unit dumbfounded Milwaukee's lineup featuring starters Giannis Antetokounmpo, Malcolm Brogdon and Lopez, kicking off the final stanza with a 21-6 run to take a 109-105 lead.
Enter Eric Bledsoe.
BOX SCORE: Bucks 121, Nuggets 114
The Bucks point guard made play after play to help turn things around. He ignited a 5-0 run to take the lead with a steal for a layup then a block that led to a bucket and a foul. Bledsoe then snuck a pass inside to Antetokounmpo, who had 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, for an inside finish.
“I thought Eric Bledsoe the last three, four, five minutes was phenomenal," Budenholzer said.
As much as Bledsoe did, the Bucks and Nuggets were still tied after that Antetokounmpo bucket with 2 minutes, 55 seconds left. Shortly after the clock ticked under two minutes, Brogdon came up with a steal, moved the ball to Antetokounmpo then followed the play, getting the ball back along the arc for a clutch three-pointer.
That triple was Brogdon's third in as many tries as he ended the game with 20 points on 7 of 13 shooting, six rebounds and five assists. On a night where the Bucks shot 57.1% as a team, Brogdon stood out for his efficiency and steadiness, coming up with strong drives, solid defense and clutch three-pointers -- including beating the halftime buzzer with a three-pointer -- all night long.
The score remained the same with the Bucks ahead by three as the clock ticked under a minute. That's when Khris Middleton took his turn to step up.
Middleton, who with 21 points was one of four Bucks with 20-plus for the first time since March 2015, got the ball in his hands matched up against Denver center Nikola Jokic and looked dead set on finding a way to squeeze a basket out of the possession. He couldn't get separation along the arc and drove toward the middle of the floor, putting up a tough, high-arching jump shot that found the bottom of the net with 42.1 seconds left.
“I just tried to get the best look," Middleton said. "I ended up making a tougher shot than I wanted to, but I thought I got to a spot I thought I could pull up and just tried to get the shot up over him.”
After a dunk by Paul Millsap, who led the Nuggets with 25 points and killed the Bucks from three-point range in the first half, Middleton hit a pair of free throws to keep the margin at five points. Then Bledsoe made the play that sealed the game, picking off a steal in the backcourt.
Though Bledsoe missed the ensuing layup, he battled for the loose rebound to make sure the Bucks would keep possession. Following a timeout, Bledsoe's hard work was rewarded as Milwaukee efficiently moved the ball to him in the corner and he drove to the hole for a dunk.
With the victory, the Bucks ended their four-game, West Coast trip with a 2-2 record, knocking off the Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors -- teams with some of the best records in the West. Now they get six straight game at Fiserv Forum beginning Wednesday and they'll be bringing plenty of positive vibes back with them.
"We do not want to be a good team, we want to be a great team," Antetokounmpo said. "Great teams, no matter what, come back. You’ve got to keep fighting, keep playing within your game plan and you hope things are going to work, you hope you can knock down shots and that’s what we did.”