National Basketball Association
Milwaukee 107, Denver 99
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Officials: #39 Tyler Ford, #32 Marat Kogut, #51 Aaron Smith
Attendance: 17352

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 14 rebounds, Jrue Holiday had 20 points and the host Milwaukee Bucks beat the short-handed Denver Nuggets 107-99 on Wednesday night.

Pat Connaughton had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Khris Middleton added 10 points for the Bucks.

Antetokounmpo, who turned it over nine times, was 15 for 22 from the line and attempted six more free throws than the Nuggets.

Aaron Gordon had 26 points and 14 rebounds, Bones Hyland scored 15 points off the bench, Bruce Brown added 12 points and Jeff Green finished with 11 for Denver, which lost for just the second time in the last 12 games.

The Nuggets, playing on a back-to-back, opted to rest four starters. Nikola Jokic (left hamstring tightness) missed his third game in the last four and Kendavious Caldwell-Pope (right wrist sprain), Jamal Murray (left knee maintenance) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal) also did not play.

Milwaukee was without Bobby Portis, who suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee in a win over Detroit on Monday night. He is expected to miss several weeks.

Denver hung tough and trailed by five at halftime. The visitors cut it to 63-62 after Vlatko Cancar hit a 3-pointer with 6:53 left in the third, the Bucks went up by five but Hyland's finger roll got the Nuggets within 71-70.

Milwaukee scored 10 straight points to go up by 11 but Green hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to pull Denver within 81-73 heading into the fourth.

The Bucks scored the first six points of the final period to lead by 14, the Nuggets answered with five straight but a 3-pointer by Allen gave Milwaukee a 90-78 lead.

Denver went on an 11-2 run, capped by Christian Braun's 3-pointer, that cut the deficit to 94-89 with 5:01 left.

A three-point play by Antetokounmpo gave the Bucks a 10-point lead, and after the teams traded 3-pointers, Antetokounmpo made four free throws in 39 seconds to make it 106-92 with 2:14 remaining and Milwaukee closed it out.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Denver   Milwaukee
Aaron Gordon 26 Scoring Giannis Antetokounmpo 33
Bruce Brown 4 Assists Giannis Antetokounmpo 4
Aaron Gordon 14 Rebounds Giannis Antetokounmpo 14
Bones Hyland 4 Free Throws Made Giannis Antetokounmpo 15
Bruce Brown 3 Steals Grayson Allen 3
Aaron Gordon 2 Blocks Brook Lopez 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Denver 99 39.2 11-34 12-16 21 51 5 9 19
Milwaukee 107 47.4 13-30 20-28 16 49 7 11 23
Upcoming Games
  • Milwaukee will play their next game on the road against Indiana. The Bucks have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .722 after a loss.
  • Denver will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .657 after a win and .786 after a loss.