Rapid Recap: Bucks 121, Nuggets 114

The Milwaukee Bucks hung on for a 121-114 victory over the Denver Nuggets in the Pepsi Center. The Bucks finished their West Coast trip with a 2-2 record, and their toughest part of the schedule is now behind them.

Giannis Antetokounmpo chipped in 22 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals in 36 minutes. He shot 11-16 from the field, but also missed all five of his free throws. Yikes.

Brook Lopez led the Bucks with 28 points while hitting 8-of-13 three-pointers. There really are no words to describe how unconscious he was from downtown in this game against the Nuggets.

Khris Middleton added 21 points of his own on 8-of-12 shooting and he knocked down 3-of-5 threes. He also hit a dagger fadeaway shot over Nuggets towering big man Nikola Jokic. Middleton provided the Bucks with clutch buckets down the stretch and played a big part in helping the Bucks walk away with a huge win.

Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points and was aggressive from the start of the game. He hit all three of his three-pointers, and had a few nice driving layups with defenders draped all over him. Eric Bledsoe didn’t have the most impressive stat sheet, but he came up big on defense in the late stages of the fourth quarter.

As for the Denver Nuggets, they were led by forward Paul Millsap who provided them with 25 points in 31 minutes of play. After killing the Bucks last season, Nikola Jokic could only muster 20 points on 7-14 shooting. He had to deal with Brook Lopez who was knocking down threes from Aurora. Trey Lyles also provided a huge spark off the bench for the Nuggets tonight, as he finished with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Stat That Stood Out

57.1%: The Bucks hit 57.1% of their shots versus the Denver Nuggets tonight, and they also did a lot of damage from downtown. The Bucks were very fluid offensively which gave them a ton of good looks from all over the floor. Their hot shooting performance played a critical part in them distancing themselves from the Nuggets down the stretch.