The Milwaukee Bucks certainly picked up their fifth straight victory in style Monday night.
Milwaukee comfortably strode past the slumping Denver Nuggets in a 125-112 win that helped them continue their perfect road trip so far. And it all came without their star guard Jrue Holiday as he’s reportedly in health and safety protocols.
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The Bucks didn’t fear being without the leading guard, though, as they soldiered on and were led by their All-Star duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, among others, to lead them to one of, if not their biggest victory of their 2020-21 season so far.
So without further ado, let’s look at what all stood out in the Milwaukee Bucks’ victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Takeaway no. 3 from Milwaukee Bucks’ win over Nuggets – Bryn Forbes steps up in the starting lineup
With the sudden announcement that the Bucks were without Holiday going into the night, it was Bryn Forbes who got the nod from head coach Mike Budenholzer to enter the starting lineup.
That decision paid off for both Forbes and the Bucks as the fifth-year sharpshooter finished with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting (3-for-6 from deep), along with five rebounds and an assist in 25-and-a-half minutes of run.
Hitting double digits in scoring for the 11th time this season, Forbes gave an immediate punch by knocking down triples and finding his comfort running off screens and on handoffs during what was an explosive start to the proceedings for both sides. As things eventually settled down for both teams, Forbes managed to still pick his spots and pour in timely buckets as the Bucks were working to put away Denver over the second half.
While Forbes’ defensive limitations made for a different twist than what we’ve expected to see from the Bucks’ starting unit, he put in a commendable effort digging down and grabbing a season-high five boards and competing defensively overall.
Considering the circumstances surrounding his move into the starting lineup, Forbes did his part to keep things humming for the Bucks last night.
Takeaway no. 2 from Milwaukee Bucks’ win over Nuggets – Giannis Antetokounmpo finds his rhythm
After putting up a string of dominant performances over the last week, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo got off to a rocky start Monday night.
Whether it was the residual effect of being on a long road trip as well as playing in Denver at a mile above sea level, the two-time MVP was playing with heavy legs and struggling to stay energized for long stretches. That, in turn, neutralized Antetokounmpo over the course of the first half.
But that wasn’t the case in the second half as Antetokounmpo eventually mustered through the adversity to vault the Bucks over the Nuggets. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it took a couple of flushes, a big pair of 3-pointers and good trips to the free throw line for Antetokounmpo to score 21 points over just the second half.
In the end, Antetokounmpo finished with a team-high 30 points on 23 shots (2-for-5 from deep, 6-for-8 from the foul line), nine rebounds, three blocks and two turnovers in over 34 minutes on the floor.
It wasn’t an ideal performance from Antetokounmpo, but fighting through the issues that nagged at him on the night proved to be more than half of the battle.
Takeaway no. 1 from Milwaukee Bucks’ win over Nuggets — Khris Middleton puts in big night
Going into the night with their star point guard and with Antetokounmpo riding some major ups and downs, the Bucks were in need of a stabilizing force to put their trust in over the course of the night. It turns out that Khris Middleton was up for the job.
The two-time All-Star finished with 29 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field (0-for-5 from long range, 11-of-11 from the free throw line), 12 assists, eight rebounds, three steals in nearly 36-and-a-half minutes
Middleton was dialed in early for the night as he got to his spots with ease and regularly fired up shots over multiple Nuggets defenders. As the night wore on, Middleton made a habit of picking on Nuggets wing Will Barton when hunting for mismatches and to get to the free throw line, which certainly left a sour taste in Barton’s mouth.
Will Barton on the Nuggets' defensive effort tonight: "That was on me. Middleton kicked my ass..."
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) February 9, 2021
Whenever the Bucks needed a bucket, Middleton promptly canned such shots. But it was the way in which Middleton smoothly facilitated and took the reins of the Bucks’ offense that further bolstered his standout night and led to him having a career-high 12 assists.
Coming off a quiet week by his standards, Middleton picked a vital time to arguably have his best performance of the season Monday night and it was certainly further evidence Middleton’s All-Star case has never been greater prior to this season.
The Bucks will go for their sixth straight win when they take on the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night for a 9 p.m. central time tip-off.