Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks win duel with Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and dished seven assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 121-112 win over the visiting Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.

Brook Lopez added 22 points for Milwaukee, which earned its fifth win in six games. Damian Lillard poured in 19 points, and Kyle Kuzma produced 16 points and nine rebounds.

Nikola Jokic compiled 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for the Nuggets, who have lost two of the past three since winning nine straight. Jamal Murray added 20 points while Christian Braun (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Michael Porter Jr. (12 points, 10 boards) each had a double-double.

With the Bucks still monitoring Antetokounmpo's minutes following his calf injury, the bench shined early in the final period. Two AJ Green 3-pointers plus a steal and layup from Trent comprised an 8-0 run that put Milwaukee ahead 92-83 with 9:59 to go.

A 9-2 run brought Denver within five on a put-back by Aaron Gordon with 2:20 to play. However, Antetokounmpo and Lillard responded, combining to score the final 10 points for the Bucks, who pulled away and coasted to the victory.

The Bucks came out firing as they took a 14-5 lead. Jokic responded swiftly, putting up 16 points in the quarter, and the game was even 30-30 going into the second.

Jokic added just two points in the second quarter, but the Nuggets still took a 57-54 lead into halftime. Kuzma led the Bucks with 13 points before the break.

Milwaukee went up by seven late in the third quarter on a Gary Trent Jr. 3-pointer, but Jokic proceeded to lay one in, grab a board and dish an assist for a layup by Julian Strawther, cutting the Nuggets' deficit to 84-81 entering the fourth.

This was the first matchup between these teams this season, with the rematch scheduled for March 26 in Denver. The teams split the two-game season series each of the past four campaigns.

--Field Level Media