Nuggets Pull Off Gutsy Win Over Bucks

The game between the Denver Nuggets and the Milwaukee Bucks started out competitive, as both teams traded basket for basket early in the game. That was the case until the 1:43 mark in the first quarter.

At that point, Milwaukee went on an 8-0 run to put itself up 32-24 over Denver to end the first quarter. However, the Nuggets fought back to pull within one point, 41-40, with 6:31 left in the second quarter. But the Bucks went on another tear, as they led 64-53 over the Nuggets to end the first half.

First Half Observations:

Milwaukee’s shooting was on fire during the first half. They shot 70 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from bhind the three-point line. Denver’s shooting, however, was a lot less impressive. In the first half, the Nuggets only shot 52.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the behind the arc.

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The connection between Emmanuel Mudiay and J.J. Hickson was on point in the first half. To begin the game, Mudiay had two nice passes to Hickson that led to dunks for Denver and another that led to a layup. By the end of the half, Mudiay had 12 assists to Hickson this season.

In his 8-minutes off the bench in the half, Jokic played magnificently for Denver. He was driving to the basket and dishing the ball around. He led all Denver bench players with six points, three rebounds and three assists in the first half.

In the first half, Milwaukee tallied four buzzer-beaters.

Score at Halftime: 64-53

After halftime, the Nuggets came out firing, converting their first four shots in the third quarter to pull within five points of the Bucks. The 6:10 mark in the third was when the Denver magic started to flow through the Pepsi Center.

Denver went on an 11-0 run to go up 81-75 with 2:32 left in the third, and the score after the third quarter was Denver 87, Milwaukee 80. During the period, the Nuggets posted 34 points against the Bucks, which was the first 30-point quarter this season for Denver.

The fourth quarter was when the game got interesting.

After being down by 13 with 8:53 left in the game, the Bucks stormed back to claim a 100-98 lead with 1:21 left in the game. That last minute in the game was eventful, as the Nuggets went on to win 103-102 when Faried put up a Gallinari miss with five seconds left on the clock.

Second Half Observations: