Nikola Jokic came one rebound shy of posting his sixth triple-double in the past nine games as the visiting Denver Nuggets blew out the Milwaukee Bucks 136-100 on Sunday night to win their fifth consecutive game, matching their longest winning streak of the season.
Jokic had 18 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists as his team ended Milwaukee’s four-game home winning streak. Aaron Gordon added 24 points and seven rebounds and shot 10-of-17 from the field, and Monte Morris finished with 18 points.
The Nuggets were lethal from 3-point range, shooting 53.5 percent (23 of 43).
Giannis Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks with 29 points and nine rebounds and hit 9-of-19 from the field. Jrue Holiday contributed 14 points and eight assists, and Bobby Portis and Grayson Allen collected 11 points apiece.
Milwaukee made 16 of its 22 attempts at the free-throw line but shot below 35 percent from deep for the fourth time in the past five games.
After Jokic hit a jumper 12 seconds into the third quarter, the Nuggets led by at least 10 points for the remainder of the game. A 19-7 run over the first six minutes of the second half blew the game open and gave Denver a 20-point edge, its largest lead of the night at the time.
Eleven 3-pointers through the first 24 minutes of play sent the Nuggets into halftime with a 65-57 advantage. Gordon had 13 points, and Jokic had nine points to go with five rebounds and nine assists.
Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 22 points in the half, and Holiday added 12. Milwaukee was dominant down low, scoring 32 of its first-half points in the paint while going 22-for-40 (55 percent) from the field.
Both offenses were spot-on in the first quarter, shooting over 55 percent from the field. Denver was particularly good from 3-point range, making good on six of 14 shots.
With the loss, Milwaukee has split the season series with the Nuggets after beating them 120-109 on Nov. 26.
–Field Level Media
