MILWAUKEE – In the aftermath of Thursday’s victory over Utah, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said it might have been his team’s best win of the season.
That accolade stood for less than 24 hours.
On Friday, on short rest and with an even shorter bench, the Nuggets rolled into Milwaukee and shocked the NBA’s best team. Because of the taxing turnaround, many had already deemed Friday’s contest a “schedule loss” prior to tip. Instead, the Nuggets put forth their most impressive collective effort of the season to win 127-115, improve to 34-15 and hand the Bucks just their third home loss of the season.
“This was a game where I was actually going to try to sit a couple guys because I’ve been asking so much of Nikola, been asking so much of Will,” Malone said following Denver’s seventh straight win on the second night of a back-to-back. “Nobody wanted to sit. ‘They’re like, no coach, I’m playing.’”
All nine Nuggets who played Friday reached double-figures in points, led by 24 from Will Barton. His cold-blooded 3-pointer as the Bucks tried to mount a rally in the fourth-quarter helped secure the win. Barton was lights out from the 3-point line, drilling 6-of-9 from outside. He and Malik Beasley (five 3-pointers, 16 points) aided Denver’s scorching 3-point shooting effort; the Nuggets finished the night 22-of-46 from 3-point range.
“Just get a bucket,” Barton said of his mindset. ” (Assistant coach Ryan Bowen) told me before going back out there, ‘Don’t play tentative. We’re going to need you still to score, even though we’re up a lot, because we know how good of a team they are. They’re going to make their run.’”
Nikola Jokic nearly secured another triple-double, finishing with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. It was Denver’s united effort that helped combat Milwaukee’s two All-Stars, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Antetokounmpo finished with 31 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.
The Nuggets turned the tables on one of the NBA’s most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the third. Jerami Grant, Barton and Beasley rained in seven 3-pointers to stake a 40-point quarter that completely flipped the momentum of the game and left the Bucks’ crowd stunned. Despite their fatigue, Denver’s defenders flew around and used their length to hold Milwaukee to just 24 points. By the end of the surge, the Nuggets were up 100-91 heading into the fourth.
Even more improbable, they built the lead without starters Jamal Murray (ankle), Paul Millsap (knee) and Gary Harris (personal), in addition to backup center Mason Plumlee (foot).
Asked about Murray, who’s been out since Jan. 15, Malone still didn’t have a definitive timeframe.
“As much as we’d like to get him back as quickly as possible, I think it’s smart for us and prudent for us to be patient and not rush him back because when he’s out there, I want him playing with confidence and not worrying about that ankle injury that he sustained,” Malone said.
In his place, Monte Morris and P.J. Dozier helped stabilize and facilitate for both units.
On Friday, the Nuggets got the news that rookie Michael Porter Jr. had been snubbed for the Rising Stars game during All-Star weekend in Chicago. Porter finished Friday’s win with 15 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double in the last eight games. He left the game midway through the fourth after appearing to roll his right ankle. The announcement drew an impassioned response from Malone prior to Friday’s game.
“Definitely, he deserves it,” Malone said. “If Michael Porter is not a rising star in the NBA, I don’t know what the hell a rising star is. … He is a rotational, impactful player for us, so as much as we are disappointed he didn’t make it, we love who he is, we love the direction he’s headed and the future that he has.”
Following Thursday’s win over the Jazz, the Nuggets immediately hopped on a flight to Milwaukee where the league’s best team was waiting for them. As if the schedule wasn’t tough enough from Denver’s perspective, the Bucks were well rested and hadn’t played since Tuesday.
“I think we got to the hotel at 4:30, but we have a job to do,” Malone said. “No one’s giving us a chance. … I don’t care if we had a week off or the second night of a back-to-back, this is a tough challenge.”
Porter offered his usual energy off the bench, chipping in 11 points and nine rebounds over the first two quarters. On one tantalizing sequence, Porter shook Middleton into a stumble, rose up and buried a smooth jumper. Juancho Hernangomez had struggled mightily over the last two months, but his 10 points and two 3-pointers were huge given how thin Denver’s bench has become.
Though Antetokounmpo shot just 4-of-11 from the field over the first two quarters, he nearly secured a first-half triple-double with 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
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