“We have to play champion basketball again”. That’s what Mike Malone asked last week as his Nuggets went through their first crisis of the season. His players waited for the Bucks to come to answer him, and for the third time in a row at home, Nikola Jokic and his teammates blew the tape to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Tonight is +23 (129-106), but we must remember that last year, the Nuggets won by 36 points. In 2021, it was +31!
Tonight, they built their second half success by limiting the Bucks to… 40 points! “It was a very great defense against a very good attack” summarizes Malone, proud of the performance of his players. It was by blocking Milwaukee’s transition game that Denver muzzled Giannis Antetokounmpo, and at the same time the entire Bucks game.
It was Aaron Gordon but also Christian Braun who sacrificed themselves in defense to prevent the “Greek Freak” from tumbling all over the place, and it worked: Giannis scored only 4 points in this pivotal 3rd quarter, then 3 in the last period. Mike Budenholzer will even take him out six minutes from the end of the match. It must be said that the Greek had just taken a technique, and like his teammates, he let himself be trapped by frustration.
Nikola Jokic dominates Brook Lopez
“I thought we defended well the whole game” believes for his part Jamal Murray. “We started well, and even if they had a successful series, we showed consistency in defense, and we found points on the transition game. »
On an individual level, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. have performed at their best, and Jeff Green has once again proven that at 36, he still has his high school legs with this standout Giannis poster. As for Nikola Jokic, he recalled that he should not be buried in the race for MVP. From the start of the match, he did not hesitate to challenge Brook Lopez, considered the best defender of the season. Facing the circle or back to the basket, the Serb pressed the pivot of the Bucks, and won points against Giannis Antetokounmpo. No doubt that this opposition will mark the spirits at the time of the votes for the MVP.
Next challenge for Jokic? Take on Joel Embiid as the Nuggets travel to Philadelphia on Monday!
