Nuggets vs Bucks 112-121: Giannis Antetokounmpo MVP display sinks Jokic

Milwaukee Bucks secured a 121-112 victory over the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum on Thursday night.

The two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo surpassed his planned minutes cap but delivered a dominant performance. His coach Doc Rivers was attempting to keep his playing time under 32 minutes per game due to a left calf strain. He finished with 28 points, 19 rebounds, and seven assists, helping the Bucks to their fifth win in six games.

Antetokounmpo was on the bench as Milwaukee built a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter, but Denver cut the margin to 111-106 with just over two minutes left. He then drew a foul after grabbing an offensive rebound and converted two free throws, extending the Bucks’ lead to seven. A mid-range jumper on the next possession pushed the advantage to 115-106, sealing the win.

Brook Lopez added 22 points for Milwaukee, while Damian Lillard and Kyle Kuzma contributed 19 and 16, respectively. The Bucks improved to 33-25, maintaining their hold on the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Nikola Jokić, the reigning NBA MVP, recorded his 27th triple-double of the season with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists, shooting 13-of-16 from the field. Jamal Murray scored 20 points, and Christian Braun had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Denver, which fell to 38-21. The loss dropped the Nuggets half a game behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the third spot in the Western Conference.

A significant disparity in free-throw attempts frustrated Denver coach Michael Malone, as Milwaukee held a 28-11 advantage from the line.

"Obviously, we fouled too much. For there to be a 28-11 differential is just crazy to me," Malone said. "I was trying to talk to the referees all night about that one because we are a team that attacks. We had 32 points in transition, we had 68 in the paint, and we just couldn’t get a foul called.”

Milwaukee will return to action on Saturday with a road game against the Dallas Mavericks, while Denver continues its four-game road trip against the Detroit Pistons on Friday.