MILWAUKEE — The mirror images stood 10 feet apart, each dejected Denver all-stars, each with their hands on their hips, each gazing straight ahead, wondering how this could have happened.
Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony watched Mo Williams’ free throw punctuate Milwaukee’s 115-109 comeback win against the floundering Nuggets, a game that Denver led by as many as 23 points.
On Friday, Chicago led Denver by as many as 23 before the Nuggets were rejuvenated, but lost down the stretch. On Saturday, it was Denver’s opponent that was down 23, but the Bucks came back and held on to win, giving Denver (33-22) its second consecutive loss to an average Eastern Conference team.
“It’s very frustrating because these are the games Coach always talks about — we can’t let games like these slip away,” guard Anthony Carter said. “And we let two of them slip away.”
So what happened? On Saturday, the Bucks (21-35) dominated the boards against a team that generally dominates the boards. Milwaukee had 53 rebounds to Denver’s 40, but more piercing, Milwaukee had 20 offensive rebounds to Denver’s nine, scoring 22 second-chance points, 16 in the second half.
“That had a lot to do with it,” said Iverson, who scored a team-high 26 points. “We have to do a better job of helping down on the boards.”
Defensively, Denver could not rattle Michael Redd and Williams, which was a problem. This is because both men are brilliant jump shooters. When one gets hot, Milwaukee is tough to smother. When both get hot? Milwaukee, with a losing record, knocks off Denver, with a winning record.
Redd scored a season- high 42 points and Williams scored 26, including 20 in the second half.
“I don’t know if there’s a guy in basketball who shoots the ball off the dribble better than Mo Williams,” Denver coach George Karl said.
Offensively, Denver “couldn’t get anything going,” Iverson said, as the Nuggets missed numerous layups, botched alley-oops and forced jumpers. In their defense, they weren’t getting a lot of calls. In the first half, the Nuggets shot 26 free throws. In the second half, they shot eight. But the boys in powder blue shot inconsistently in the second half while making 10 turnovers, compared to four in the first half.
The Nuggets were already sky-high when they left Denver International Airport on Thursday, fresh off a victory against Boston, the team with the NBA’s best record. They were off to Chicago and Milwaukee, and though they were road games, they were games against two mediocre Eastern Conference teams.
A split would have been nice. The way Denver played against the Celtics, a sweep was conceivable.
“But we’re not playing 48 minutes on the road,” Karl said after the Bucks’ game. “We’re playing good basketball for stretches. We’re opening up the window defensively, giving up way too many points.”
Nuggets Recap
What you might have missed
Milwaukee’s Andrew Bogut grabbed a game-high 20 rebounds, while Denver’s Marcus Camby had just 10. Carmelo Anthony made six turnovers. And Kenyon Martin finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Final thought
They led by 23 and, in coach George Karl’s words, “ran out of gas.” This was a frustrating road trip for Denver, because the Nuggets couldn’t control either game with the offensive dominance they showed earlier in the season.
Up next
Vs. Detroit, 7 p.m., Monday.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
