Bucks 104, Nuggets 98: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe lead comeback

Matt Velazquez | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Milwaukee Bucks swear they want to be a team that plays well for a full 48 minutes. They don't like their trend of struggling off the jump and falling into holes, but they can't pinpoint why it keeps happening.

Yes, it's an issue. However, it's not as big of a problem if you keep finding ways to climb out of those holes to claim wins.

That's exactly what the Bucks (12-4) did Monday night against the Denver Nuggets (10-7), bouncing back from a first-half deficit that topped out at 17 points to earn a 104-98 victory at Fiserv Forum.

“I don’t think it’s a problem, but we definitely got to fix it," said Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 29 points, 12 rebounds six assists and two steals. "We’ve got to do a better job trying to set the tone. I think we did a better job this game, but we can do a lot better.

"I think our talent always, like, saves us. I feel like we’re so talented that even when we’re down 10, down 15, we can always get back to the game. But we got to know that down the road that’s not going to help us.”

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BOX SCORE: Bucks 104, Nuggets 98

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This time around, the Bucks relied on the combination of Antetokounmpo and point guard Eric Bledsoe to carry them back, with each making major contributions throughout the final 24 minutes to help turn things around.

Antetokounmpo got going first by putting together the kind of third quarter you might expect from an MVP-caliber player who needs to put his team on his shoulders. He attacked the rim often, pivoting into space and throwing down dunks to bring both his team and the home crowd to life.

One interior bucket at a time, Antetokounmpo put up 15 of his 29 points in the third quarter alone, helping the Bucks to eventually take the lead. After a sloppy, sluggish first half that featured a bevy of turnovers, bricks from all along the perimeter, consistent strings of buckets from the Nuggets and had the Bucks down, 53-36, with about 2 1/2 minutes until intermission, Milwaukee owned a 78-77 lead heading into the final period.

“I’m just thinking that whenever I get the ball I’m going to try to make something happen, try to make a play for myself or for my teammates," said Antetokounmpo, who had three of his 12 rebounds in the third. "Most importantly, rebound the ball, because I know when I rebound the ball I’m going to have a lot of opportunities to bring the ball up and make a play.”

Bledsoe wasn't sitting idly by in that third quarter. His aggressive play made an impact at the head of Milwaukee's defense. He made things tough for Denver's guards and made his presence felt in the form of deflections, a steal and active contests on shots. He also contributed seven points to help the comeback, joining Antetokounmpo in playing the whole period.

But he saved his best moments for the fourth quarter. With the game tied at 89 with just over five minutes to go, Bledsoe kicked into high gear – something he has done multiple times this season, including the last matchup between these teams on Nov. 11. On a night when the Bucks struggled from three-point range – 11 of 36 – Bledsoe nailed a couple of treys in row to give Milwaukee six points of breathing room.

"I'm just playing the game," Bledsoe said of his late-game heroics. "Just playing the game hard. Playing with energy and it's rewarding me. And I got great teammates as well, man. They stay on me throughout the game.

He wasn't done. Bledsoe then tossed an assist to Brook Lopez for a three-pointer then lofted a perfect alley-oop to Antetokounmpo that gave the Bucks an eight-point lead with just over two minutes to go. That dunk was Antetokounmpo's only basket of the fourth quarter, but it was a loud one.

The Nuggets didn't go quietly, though. Gary Harris and Nikola Jokic splashed back-to-back three-pointers, making it a two-point game with less than a minute to play. Jokic led all Denver scorers with 20 points on 8 of 18 shooting.

Needing some insurance, the Bucks got some from a usually reliable source who had struggled throughout the night.

Heading into that pivotal moment, Khris Middleton was 0 of 7 on three-point attempts. He had battled all night on both ends, but his shots – even open ones – wouldn't fall. He was hearing the jeers from the Nuggets bench but was resolute in ultimately silencing them if he got the chance.

So, with a hand in his face and the shot clock ticking down, Middleton made his move. He didn't catch the pass from Antetokounmpo cleanly and instead of a catch-and-shoot attempt he had to take a dribble and use a side step to create enough space for a difficult three-pointer over the outstretched arm of Juancho Hernangomez.

Finally, and with perfect timing, a triple went down with 27.6 seconds left to all but seal the win.

“It was just an old friend of mine," Middleton said of the heckler on the opposing bench. "He was talking about how I was struggling and he was letting me know about it each time. I told him one was going to go at some point and I finally got that one.”

Icing the victory fittingly was a task saved for Bledsoe, who ended his 23-point performance by splitting a pair of free throws. He did that scoring on 8 of 10 shooting while also adding five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The game wasn't always a pretty one, but for the Bucks all's well that ends well. With Monday's win, Milwaukee is off to its best start since the 1985-'86 season and put itself in line to remain atop the NBA in terms of their net efficiency ranking.

Antetokounmpo in the third quarter and Bledsoe in the fourth figured prominently in ensuring Monday's game ended well for the Bucks.

“We talk about competing; it feels like he is competing," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Bledsoe. "He’s kind of laying it on the line and I think everybody else is kind of feeding off of that.”