Despite Monta Ellis’ 38 points, the Denver Nuggets stifled the Bucks’ last chance for a regular season win at home Monday night. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Monta Ellis was huge for the Bucks, netting 14 of 25 baskets including 6-11 threes, usually one of the weaker areas of his offensive attack, and chipping in four gimmes from the free throw line to score 38 points. It was all for naught in the end, however, as Milwaukee couldn’t manage to contain the Denver Nuggets’ fast break scoring attack enough to keep the game in control for a second half comeback, eventually falling 112-111.

Despite an aching Achilles tendon in his left ankle, Brandon Jennings assumed point guard duties for the Bucks’ final home game of the regular. His effectiveness was less than stellar, to say the least. Chucking up five threes and coming up empty on each one is bad; going just 1-11 from the field in 29 minutes and totaling four points is hardly better than laying an egg. Jennings is capable of facilitating and had four assists, but taking the time to find a teammate on just one of those errant threes could have swung the game in Milwaukee’s favor.

The blame does not solely belong to Jennings, though. The loss is the team’s burden to bear, as always, and Jennings limited his turnovers, committing just one as opposed to the seven possessions he gave away when the Bucks traveled to Denver on Feb. 5. Ellis, for all the spacing he created at the perimeter and the damage he threatened to continue at the right elbow (where he was 2-4), turned the ball over a team-high four times, trailed closely by Ersan Ilyasova’s three TOs.

Even with the loss extending the Bucks’ losing streak to five games, the night was not all bad. In fact, there is some promise in the minutiae. John Henson gained valuable experience playing against one of the NBA’s best teams, albeit at a lower caliber than usual. He posted a double-double (14 points, 15 rebounds), going 6-13 from the field and cleaning the offensive glass better than anyone who took the court and wasn’t named JaVale McGee. (The two tied with eight offensive boards a piece in the Battle of Lanky Centers.) Any NBA big man can have one good night scoring and wrangling rebounds in the paint, though. Henson separated himself with four blocks and three steals while committing only one foul in 31 minutes and working the other end of the court with two assists. It is a not a LARRY SANDERS! line, but Henson’s performance is more than can be expected from most rookies who have seen limited playing time in a crowded front court.

If Henson gets the game ball or ties Ellis for it, Jennings has competition for the Charlie Brown “I Got a Rock” of the night in Ish Smith’s decidedly not magnificent 0-3 shooting and zero points in 20 minutes, although his six assists, two steals and one block probably qualify him to be Pigpen and relegate Jennings to Chuck status.

Ramshackle though the Bucks’ evening may look, credit goes to the Nuggets for executing their game plan to a tee. Led by Ty Lawson, they created 21 points in transition (Milwaukee had 10) and pounded the boards, out-rebounding the Bucks 58-44. Denver had 17 turnovers, all more or less negated by the 14-rebound differential spearheaded by McGee.

There is no shame in losing to the Nuggets and there is no use exploring hypothetical alternatives, like how things would have turned out if Ellis had been the primary ball-handler tonight. Not now, at least. There is an entire offseason for that. Now is the time when the Bucks must scramble to find a way to beat a top flight opponent on unfamiliar turf in less than 48 hours as the reality of escaping a six-game losing streak heading into the playoffs hinges on beating the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road Wednesday night. Almost certain death (via Miami Heat) is lurking in the playoffs, but Wednesday’s result could be the difference between a despondent, lifeless postseason showing and a grudge match against a team the Bucks beat three of four times during the 2011-12 regular season.

If Bucks fans smile after tonight’s game against the Nuggets, it will be because of Monta Ellis. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Having clinched a playoff spot (the eighth seed, naturally), now is the time the Bucks can relax. They’re too far behind Boston to climb into the seventh spot and avoid a first round series against the Miami Heat. Add the fact that two of their primary playmakers, Larry Sanders and Brandon Jennings, are ailing and tonight’s regular season home finale against the Denver Nuggets is when Milwaukee can inflate minutes for back-ups and hypothetically be content no matter the outcome. Or at least that should be the case.

The Bucks managed to botch every contest during a four-game road trip, dropping games to Miami and Atlanta in addition to teams with less respectable records, the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Bobcats. What should have been a 50/50 split spun into four consecutive losses, leaving the Bucks hungry for one more victory before the postseason begins. Tonight offers them their best chance to snag one. It is their last game in Milwaukee and, even if it is against one of the Western Conference’s best teams, the odds of winning in Oklahoma City for the Thunder’s final home game are drastically worse than nabbing a ‘W’ over a Nuggets team featuring a less-than-100 percent Ty Lawson and missing Kenneth Faried and Danilo Gallinari.

Projected Lineups:

Nuggets: Ty Lawson, Evan Fournier, Andre Iguodala, Corey Brewer, Kosta Koufos
Bucks: Monta Ellis, J.J. Redick, Ersan Ilyasova, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, John Henson

This is not the Bucks’ last stand, but it is their best. Jennings is doubtful for Monday’s game and will probably rest his sore left Achilles. That is less of a worry than it would have been earlier in the season, before Monta Ellis, point guard, re-emerged from a post-Golden State fog over the weekend. Either has speed to match up well against Lawson, although Ellis may be the better candidate. Lawson forced Jennings into seven turnovers and held the sometimes-mercurial PG to 33 percent shooting when the two teams met on Feb. 5. It must be noted, Ellis had an awful game (6-21, 0-5 from three) that night, too. That happens against Andre Iguodala, though. It’s no secret.

The absence of Gallinari and Faried — who will likely rest until the playoffs — is fortunate for the Bucks, as Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Ersan Ilyasova both compiled five fouls. Along with John Henson (power forwards! Thanks, John Hammond!), those two will have to execute their roles perfectly: Mbah a Moute has to lock down on defense and force a draw with Iggy while Ilyasova has to be efficient from the field. Henson has been spotty throughout the season, but has the potential to be a mini-Sanders in the paint due to his length. If nothing else, tonight will be good practice in game-time situations for Henson, something that could be valuable if nagging injuries force Sanders to miss any time during the playoffs.

As favorable a match-up as the depleted Nuggets are for the Bucks, Milwaukee must play as well as possible to stop its skid. That means minimizing fast break points (easier than usual, with Lawson’s heel still on the mend) and getting solid production from players used to playing off the bench (hard, if Redick can’t fully shake the funk he’s been experiencing).

Oklahoma City will want to put on a show Wednesday to close the regular season. The Heat awaits in the playoffs and there is a chance LeBron James and Co. sweep the Bucks regardless of tonight’s outcome versus Denver. Tonight may be “do or die.” It could be win now or win in the fall. Can Ellis guide the Bucks to a victory? Let us know in the comments.