After losing their last game vs. the Houston Rockets in disappointing fashion, the Milwaukee Bucks needed to come out laser-focused against the red-hot Denver Nuggets.
It was far from their cleanest game, as the Bucks were outscored 68-42 in the paint and 32-16 on fast break opportunities, but they still managed to come away with a 121-112 victory. Still on his minutes restriction, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 28 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists, while Brook Lopez chipped in 22 points.
Denver's Nikola Jokic, making a strong case to win another MVP, had himself a great game by posting 32 points on 13-of-16 shooting to go with 14 rebounds and 10 assists. However, despite his heroics, the Nuggets couldn't overcome an all-around team effort by the Milwaukee Bucks, who did a quality job of limiting almost everyone outside of Jokic.
The win will undoubtedly be the biggest story of the night, but it's not the only news to come out of Milwaukee late on Thursday.
Bucks get a win, add another player
Seconds after the contest ended, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Bucks would be signing Pete Nance to a two-way deal. With Milwaukee waiving big man Liam Robbins earlier in the day, it felt inevitable that they would fill their vacant two-way spot soon after, though Nance is not a name many may have had their eye on. However, he certainly has some potential in tow.
Nance, who has played a combined 15 games with Cleveland and Philadelphia over two seasons in the NBA, has spent most of his time in the G-League this season. The 6-foot-10 big man has put up some impressive numbers, averaging 16.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 blocks while knocking down 36.1 percent of his triples on six attempts per game.
While Nance is unlikely to play legitimate minutes with the Milwaukee Bucks, he can serve as a nice depth piece. Brook Lopez and Jericho Sims are currently eating up the Bucks' center minutes, while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kyle Kuzma are manning the four. In the event that one of those players misses time, Nance could step in, similar to what fellow two-way Ryan Rollins did earlier this season.
With their two-way spot now filled, the significant question for the Milwaukee Bucks is who will their final standard roster spot.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.