In the third matchup of a six-game road trip for the Milwaukee Bucks, they will be put to the test tonight against the top-heavy Denver Nuggets.
Denver is currently jockeying for positioning in the standings out west as they’re holding onto the sixth seed with a 12-10 record. Although they have not looked like the team that was two games away from making the NBA Finals last season, the Nuggets are undoubtedly a tough opponent for Milwaukee.
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The Bucks are just 2-4 against the Nuggets over the past three seasons, and they have certainly proved to be a thorn in Milwaukee’s side during that span. Hopefully, with their recent momentum taking form, the Bucks can rewrite their regular season troubles against the Nuggets with a win.
But following their win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday night, the Bucks have won four consecutive games and are off to a fantastic start this month.
With a difficult test on the way, let’s break down three keys to a Milwaukee Bucks victory as they take on the Denver Nuggets Monday night.
First key to victory when visiting Denver Nuggets – Milwaukee Bucks need to defend the 3-pointer
How the Bucks have defended the 3-point line over the Mike Budenholzer has and continues to be a strong talking point, especially as they’ve taken a dip in that department this season.
This season, Bucks opponents are shooting 38.2 percent from deep against Milwaukee, and that subpar percentage does not bode well as they visit a sharpshooting Nuggets team. Although Denver is averaging just 34.1 3-point attempts per game, good for 19th in the league, they are shooting 38 percent on such looks this season, the league’s sixth-best mark.
That kind of efficiency could spell trouble for the Bucks, though they haven’t been tested all that much from that range over their four-game win streak. Bucks opponents are shooting a lackluster 30.6 percent from three over that span.
We’ll just have to see that hold against a Nuggets team that doesn’t have much trouble in knocking down such shots, despite the low volume of attempts.