Recap: Nuggets stomp the Bucks 136-100 behind 23 made threes

Denver’s offense has been dominating the competition lately and Milwaukee was another casualty tonight

The Denver Nuggets leave Milwaukee with a very impressive win. They defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 136-100 behind an efficient and high volume three-point effort tonight. They knocked down 23 of 43 threes. Gordon and Morris hit four apiece while Jokic, Barton, Hyland, Forbes, Rivers, and Howard all hit two or more. The Nuggets were in control of this contest throughout. They outscored the Bucks in every quarter including a 38-24 route in the 3rd. They also moved the ball extremely well tonight. Denver’s 39 assists tonight are a season-high as they move to seven games above .500 for the first time this season.

The Nuggets eclipsed 110+ points for their seventh straight game which is the longest active streak in the NBA. The starters combined for 77, but the Denver bench was a massive factor in this win. They scored 59 points and when the bench scores 40+ the Nuggets are 12-3 this season. Bones Hyland looked confident tonight as he scored 13 points and 6 assists on 3-5 shooting from three. Nikola Jokic only played 28 minutes tonight, but he filled the stat sheet with 18 points, 15 assists, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals on 7-9 shooting. With the win tonight, the Nuggets are 28-21 on the season and 15-12 on the road. They take their four-game road winning streak to Minnesota on Tuesday for a matchup with the Timberwolves.

1st Quarter

• The Nuggets started the game with three straight misses from behind the arc. Nikola Jokic got the scoring started with a hook shot and Barton added with a smooth mid-range jumper
• Monte Morris and Aaron Gordon hit two consecutive threes to give Denver an early 10-7 lead. Within the first three minutes, the Denver defense forced three turnovers and converted four points from those opportunities
• A Denver turnover gave Giannis an easy transition dunk that turned into an and-one due to a Barton foul. That gave Milwaukee a 17-14 lead until Gordon answered the following possession with another three
• Allen, Connaughton, and Portis helped Milwaukee score on three straight possession, but Morris and Jokic knocked in two straight threes to tie the game at 23.
• Bones Hyland then entered the game and swished home two consecutive threes in his first two attempts. That gave Denver a 29-23 lead as Denver hit six threes in the quarter

Score: 33-30 Nuggets

Scoring leaders: Morris – 8, Allen – 8

2nd Quarter

• Bones Hyland appeared locked in through his early minutes. He opened the quarter by slinging a one-handed pass to JaMychal for a dunk, he hit another three, converted two free throws, and forced a Milwaukee turnover to increase the lead to nine
• The Nugget offense appeared to be hitting on all cylinders. At the 9:00 mark in the quarter, they shot 55% from the field and 47% from three. They also had 13 assists and 8 fast break points
• Aaron Gordon knocked in two straight perimeter shots that increased the Denver lead to 10. One shot was a three and the other was inches away from being his fourth triple of the night. Holiday then scored four straight for Milwaukee, but Will Barton replied by getting into his bag of tricks with an acrobatic layup
• After two Giannis free throw attempts, Jokic converted a three-point play off a contested fadeaway jumper. He then located Morris who sank a three-pointer, but Giannis answered with a three of his own to get within seven, 62-55
• Will Barton scored on a mid-range jumper for his 6th point on 3-4 shooting. Giannis responded by getting to the free-throw line for his 11th free throw attempt of the first half
• Milwaukee dominated the paint in the first half. They outscored Denver 32-18 and earned 13 free throw attempts. With that being said, the Nuggets did have the advantage on the perimeter. They shot 11-24 from three and shot 52% overall

Score: 65-57 Nuggets

Scoring leaders: Giannis – 22, Gordon – 13

3rd Quarter

• Jokic opened the quarter with a mid-range jumper, and Aaron Gordon hit his fourth three of the game as he sank one from the corner. Khris Middleton then knocked home a three on the following possession
• The Nuggets responded by going on a mini 7-2 run. Jokic recorded his 10th assist by finding Morris for a three while Barton hit another mid-range jumper and also tossed a no-look pass to Gordon for a dunk
• Nikola Jokic dropped in a high-arching three to give Denver their largest lead of the game at 18 points, 82-64. The next possession, he hit a hook shot to put Denver up 20
• The Nugget offense played well in the first half, but they elevated their game to another level in the 3rd. Midway through the quarter, they outscored Milwaukee 21-9, added three more triples, and increased their field goal percentage to 57%
• Connaughton and Middleton combined for 5 straight points to aid a mini 7-0 scoring run for the Bucks. The Nuggets answered by hitting seven shots in a row. Rivers contributed with a three and Barton sank two threes. The Nuggets had 5 players in double figures and four who scored 15+ points

Score: 103-81 Nuggets

Scoring leaders: Gordon – 24, Giannis – 24

4th Quarter

• JaMychal Green hit a three from the corner to begin the scoring for Denver. Rivers then added another three for Denver’s 19th three of the game. After that shot, the Nuggets were shooting 53% from beyond the arc and 62% from the field
• Bryn Forbes scored five consecutive points for Denver after hitting a three from the top of the arc. It was his 10th point on 2-3 shooting from three. At that point, the score was 114-88 as the Nuggets displayed supreme offensive confidence
• Forbes continued his effective shooting with another three and a smooth finger roll in the lane. He had 9 points in the quarter on 4-5 shooting
• Milwaukee waived the white flag midway through the quarter as they emptied their bench. The Nuggets did the same but the bench continued to make shots. Rivers and Bones both drove to the cup for consecutive layups to maintain a 122-95 lead
• Everything continued to work for the Denver offense. Zeke Nnaji started to get physical inside and converted on a couple of layups while Markus Howard ignited for three threes

Score: 136-100

Scoring leaders: Giannis – 29, Gordon – 24

Stat leaders

Points: Giannis – 29

Rebounds: Jokic/Giannis – 9

Assists: Jokic – 15

Silent hero of the game: Aaron Gordon – 24 points and 7 rebounds on 10-17 shooting and 4-8 from three. He was also tied for the leader in plus/minus at +24