Nuggets coach Michael Malone said his team’s two recent defeats came down to the details, and Sunday’s 121-114 loss to the at the was much the same.
The Nuggets had four turnovers — one each from , , and — down the stretch that cost them as the Bucks handed Denver its third loss in a row. The Nuggets, who had one three-game losing streak last season, fell to 9-4.
“Turnovers down the stretch, lack of execution, just a comedy of errors down the stretch,” Malone said. “You have to be able to execute, you have to be able to take care of the basketball, not throw the ball to the other team and fuel their break.”
The Nuggets deserve credit for fighting back from a double-digit deficit, but the Bucks, spurred by 17-of-34 3-point shooting, were unrelenting. led the Nuggets with 25 points, and Nikola Jokic added 20, the two combining on 10 3-pointers. The Bucks were paced by 28 points from Brook Lopez and 22 from superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
A late turnover from Jokic led to an open 3-pointer from Malcolm Brogdon that made it 115-112 before sharpshooter Khris Middleton drained a jumper over Jokic to give the Bucks a five-point cushion.
Lopez, the Bucks’ starting center, caught fire from 3 in the third quarter, knocking down 6-of-7 from deep, including several that were 30-plus feet. He hit eight in total, and the spurt gave the Bucks a 99-88 lead heading into the fourth quarter, leaving the Nuggets with no other choice but to try to match Lopez.
“When a guy has hit seven 3s in a game and we’re still closing out to him short and acting surprised when he makes a three, I’m not really understanding that,” Malone said.
The Nuggets entered as the second-worst 3-point-shooting team in the league but buried 18-of-38 from long range.
Unfazed by the 3-point barrage, the Nuggets opened the fourth on a 13-2 run to tie it at 101. Beasley hit two 3-pointers and fueled a transition run-out that ended with a dunk. Beasley and Lyles kept the momentum with a soaring dunk and second-chance layup to give the Nuggets a 109-105 lead with 5:36 left.
The Nuggets’ two-game losing streak (Memphis, Brooklyn) forced them to reassess their starters. Juan Hernangomez, starting in place of , appeared to help the offense immensely by providing another 3-point threat to balance the floor. He finished with eight points in 30 minutes.
The Nuggets had a healthy respect for Antetokounmpo, one of the league’s most devastating players in the open court and an MVP candidate this year.
“I said this last year, if Giannis ever develops a consistent jump shot, he will be truly unguardable,” Malone said. “The guy leads the NBA in paint points per game, he’s long, he covers a tremendous amount of distance. In the open court he is a one-man break. You want to show him a crowd.”
With Millsap trying to keep him from getting downhill, Antetokounmpo surged to the basket numerous times and finished with jams. Like most who try to stop him, the Nuggets’ best frontcourt defender was often helpless once he built a head of steam.
Under new coach Mike Budenholzer, the Bucks have unlocked the third-best offensive and defensive team in the NBA. They shot 62 percent in the first half, paced by four starters in double digits. The Nuggets’ 3-point shooting, highlighted by Millsap’s 5-of-6 from long range, kept it to just a 63-59 margin going into the half.
After blaming Friday’s loss on a slow first quarter, the Nuggets traded offense for defense early against the Bucks. Hernangomez helped space the floor, which led to six 3-pointers and three from Millsap. The Bucks were dangerous from deep as well, knocking down 5-of-9 while shooting 66 percent from the field. Only the , whom the Nuggets host Tuesday, take more 3-pointers than the Bucks’ 41 attempts per game.
