Bucks lose, 121-117, after rally falls flat
Jokic too hot to handle; late rally fizzles
DENVER - Nikola Jokic missed three games with a hip injury, but he was back in the Denver Nuggets’ starting lineup Friday night.
That spelled bad news for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Serbian center showed his playmaking and shooting skills and recorded his first career triple-double as the Nuggets steamrolled the Bucks, 121-117, at the Pepsi Center.
Jokic finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists and Wilson Chandler had 21 points and eight rebounds. Kenneth Faried had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Jamal Murray added 18 off the bench.
Jameer Nelson drilled a three-pointer with 1:30 left to give the Nuggets a 118-114 lead and Faried added 1 of 2 free throws with 24.4 seconds left.
Denver streaked to a 70-53 halftime lead as it halted a twogame skid.
The dispirited Bucks (21-28) dropped their fifth game in a row and 10th in the last 11, but they fought back from a 22point deficit and had the lead down to one point twice late in the game.
Jabari Parker paced Milwaukee with 27 points and 10 rebounds and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 23 points, six
rebounds and four assists.
The best news for Milwaukee came when Khris Middleton said during the Fox Sports Wisconsin telecast that he plans to return for Wednesday’s home game against the Miami Heat. Middleton has been practicing regularly with the team and said earlier in the week he was nearly ready to return.
The Bucks’ leading scorer last season has been sidelined after undergoing surgery for a torn left hamstring in September.
But Middleton could not help his teammates on the court Friday, and it got ugly after the teams were tied at 44-all midway through the second quarter.
The Nuggets went on a 26-9 run to end the half and take a 17-point lead.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone put the 6foot-10 Jokic as the centerpiece of the Denver offense in mid-December, much the same way Bucks coach Jason Kidd did last season with Antetokounmpo. Jokic has a great sense of where his teammates are and can find them from the high post.
“For us, Nikola makes everybody better . ... It takes courage for us to put a second-year player as the cornerstone of the offense. But the results have been tangible.”
Milwaukee trailed, 7553, early in the third quarter but rallied behind Parker and Michael Beasley.
The Bucks got within seven but trailed, 99-89, entering the fourth quarter. Bucks coach Jason Kidd was enraged at a nocall on a drive by Antetokounmpo late in the quarter and was issued a technical foul.
Kidd argued with referee Bill Kennedy in between quarters as the conversation went on for a few minutes.
A three-pointer by Antetokounmpo cut Milwaukee’s deficit to 113112 and Parker drove to make it 115-114, after Gary Harris scored off a pass from Jokic.
Jason Terry’s three brought the Bucks within 121-117 and the Bucks fouled Chandler, who missed two free throws with 9.4 seconds left. Parker missed a three and Antetokounmpo fouled Faried, who missed two free throws with three-tenths of a second left.