In an exhilarating game of runs, the Denver Nuggets came out on top.
The Denver Nuggets won at home against the Milwaukee Bucks, 113-107, on Monday. The game itself had a playoff energy, and for good reason. It was a battle between two NBA titans, both of whom have title aspirations. More importantly, it featured two of the best duos in the NBA: Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray versus Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee entered the night as the NBA's best "clutch" team according to net rating. However, it was Denver who outscored the Bucks, 15-10, in crunch time. Denver has the league's best defensive rating in the clutch this season and continues to lock things down when it counts (the NBA defines the "clutch" as games separated by 5 or fewer points in the last five minutes).
"To be honest, that's why we play. I mean, that's why I play. To play this kind of game. To play under the pressure. To play tight games. I think that's what every player's dream is," said Jokić. "I love to play under those circumstances."
Murray starred for Denver with 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting to go with 5 assists. He also took a season-high 10 free throws and made 9 of them.
"I was just taking whatever the defense gave me," said Murray.
Jokić finished with the 119th triple-double of his career and a league-high 14th of the season: 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Denver did a great job defending Lillard, in particular, who shot just 5-of-13 from the field.
"When Dame's coming off, it's about trusting who's going to be there in the low man or in the string position," explained Murray. "If somebody makes a mistake, improvises, or doubles, just being on a string."
The Nuggets outscored the Bucks in the painted area a whopping 58-26, and they won the fastbreak battle, 19-10. Denver is now 33-15 on the season. They're 19-4 at home.
The first quarter was a game of runs. The Bucks got off to a 20-8 start, but the Nuggets closed out the period on an 8-0 run. That made it a 26-25 game, Milwaukee, heading into the second quarter.
The Nuggets stretched that run into a 14-0 surge, but the Bucks responded with a 16-6 run of their own. Then, at the end of the quarter, Murray came alive. He poured in 10 points in 3 minutes against Milwaukee's weak perimeter defense, and both teams finished the half knotted up at 56 each.
Denver closed the third quarter on a 22-9 run behind 10 points from Jokić, but then Milwaukee opened the fourth quarter on a 15-6 run. That brings us to the final five minutes of the game, otherwise known as the "clutch," with Denver holding a minuscule 98-97 lead.
The Nuggets went to their lethal two-man game with Murray and Jokić in crunch time, and Murray calmly sunk two huge pull-up midrange jumpers. Milwaukee posted Antetokounmpo up late, but Aaron Gordon got a huge stop. Gordon then pinned Lillard's layup to the glass with 24 seconds remaining, and Denver secured their 33rd victory of the year.