The shorthanded Denver Nuggets outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks in a close game, 108-104, on Sunday evening.
Nuggets’ Tim Hardaway Jr. dropped 25 points, Aaron Gordon scored 23, while Peyton Watson with 19 points, had eight rebounds, and six assists, and Zeke Nnaji added 14 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Watson has been averaging 23.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game over his past seven games.
On the other hand, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 31 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds. Myles Turner scored 16, while Bobby Portis and AJ Green added 14 points each.
Denver competed without five of its top eight scorers, including Nikola Jokic due to a bone bruise in the left knee and Jamal Murray with a sprained left ankle.
The five sidelined players are averaging a combined 84.6 points per game this season.
After a 22-8 start, they had lost eight games, including a 3-4 mark since Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP, went down in a December 29 loss at the Heat.
The Bucks trailed by 15 in the first half and by 11 entering the fourth quarter before trimming their deficit to 105-102, but missed two game-tying 3-point attempts from Rollins and Green in the final 20 seconds.
Gordon, the lone regular starter available for the Nuggets, made three free throws in the final 9 seconds to seal the victory.
The Bucks had been 5-2 in their past seven games after starting the season 12-19.
Both teams will play on Tuesday evening, as the Nuggets are on the road against the Pelicans, while Milwaukee hosts the Wolves.
