The Milwaukee Bucks lost for the sixth time in their last eight games with a disappointing 102-100 defeat at the hands of the weary and injured Denver Nuggets on Jan. 23. The Bucks tried to rally from a 23-point fourth quarter deficit but fell just short as Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Pickett made three free throws in the final 10.6 seconds. A near half-court heave from Kyle Kuzma to win the game hit the front of the rim.
Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared to be favoring his right leg throughout much of the game and finished with 22 points on 4 of 8 shooting and a 14-for-16 mark from the free throw line. He was subbed out for good with 34 seconds left in the game and the Bucks down 99-97.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said after the game that Antetokounmpo was subbed out for an injury.
Box score | Bucks schedule
The Bucks also lost to the injury-depleted Nuggets in Denver on Jan. 11.
The Nuggets were similarly diminished in Milwaukee, as they were without MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokić, his backup big man in Jonas Valančiūnas, likely all-star Jamal Murray, as well as fellow starters Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson and top reserve Peyton Watson.
Then, leading scorer Aaron Gordon injured his hamstring and did not play the second half after scoring 13 first half points. Beyond that, the Nuggets arrived in Milwaukee late after playing the Washington Wizards in Washington D.C. on Jan. 22.
With all that in their favor, the Bucks trailed 48-42 at halftime and then let go of the rope late in the third quarter as the Nuggets went on a 14-2 run with very little resistance, eliciting the first boos of the night.
Denver appeared to not have much to worry about after taking a 68-55 lead with 4 minutes, 28 seconds to go in the third quarter. The Nuggets pushed their lead to 23 points early in the fourth quarter, but behind 14 fourth quarter points (10 on free throws) from Antetokounmpo and 15 points from Ryan Rollins the Bucks made it a game in the final moments.
Ryan Rollins had 21 points and Myles Turner scored 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting for Milwaukee. Bobby Portis Jr. had 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Following Gordon’s departure, the Nuggets were led by guard Julian Strawther, who scored 16 of his 20 points in the decisive third quarter. And, he played just four fourth quarter minutes. Tim Hardaway Jr. (17 points) and Bruce Brown (15) were crucial for Denver off the bench.
Milwaukee fell to 18-26 and remains completely out of the postseason picture as the 11th team in the Eastern Conference. Denver, even without their entire starting lineup, improved to 31-15.
Weather may affect Bucks vs. Mavericks game
While Bucks fans braved below freezing temperatures to watch their team play on Jan. 23 against Denver, they may have another long wait to see their team again as a winter storm watch in the Dallas area may prevent the Mavericks from getting out of Texas in time to play the Bucks on Jan. 25.
The Mavericks play the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 24 and would depart immediately for Milwaukee for a scheduled 6 p.m. tipoff at Fiserv Forum.
However, a quarter to half inch of ice is expected to form in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, along with several inches of sleet and snow, and it could impact the Mavericks’ ability to fly.
The Bucks faced a similar issue about a year ago, as their Jan. 22, 2025, game in New Orleans was postponed due to a winter storm. Then, their Jan. 23, 2025, game against Miami Heat at Fiserv Forum was pushed back an hour as the team tried to get back home.
Milwaukee didn’t depart New Orleans until after 2 p.m. and landed less than three hours before tipoff. Despite the issues, the Bucks handled the Heat 125-96.
The Bucks and Mavericks have a scheduled off day on Jan. 26, but the Bucks are supposed to be traveling to Philadelphia for a game against the 76ers on Jan. 27. The league typically looks at all scheduling factors when trying to move a game and should that game be moved to Jan. 26 it would mean Milwaukee would play four games in seven days from Jan. 26-Feb. 1 and seven games in 12 days from Jan. 26-Feb. 6. They had a similar workload in November.
If the Milwaukee-Dallas game is outright postponed, it would mean the Bucks played just four home games the month of January.
Taurean Prince doing court work, spoke with T.J. Ford
When Bucks forward Taurean Prince underwent surgery on his neck on Nov. 13, he was ruled out “indefinitely,” but not out for the season. It was a small distinction, but perhaps meaningful.
On Dec. 11, the 6-foot, 6-inch forward said he had to have the surgery to play again. He will turn 33 years old on March 22 and felt he still had more to give the game. But, at that point, he had no timeline on any return to activity, let alone playing.
But a January checkup cleared him for activity, and Prince has gradually returned to some individual court work before games and at practices. First were slow ball handling drills, then some stationary shooting and, most recently, some movement before shots.
“I’m excited for sure,” he said before the Bucks played the Nuggets on Jan. 23. “Just to be able to, obviously, do what I love to do and just seeing any type of progression keeps me motivated. Just continuing to take it day by day and attack every day as if I’m trying to be back.”
Prince said more meetings and scheduled for February and hopes for more good news on his recovery, which may also come with an update on a potential ramp up in activity on the court and the weight room.
“I’m doing my best to not try to push the limits, even though I believe in myself probably more than anybody does,” he said. “And just trying to make sure I get back to where I can stay healthy and have no setbacks.”
Prince said he spent time talking with former Bucks player T.J. Ford on Jan. 21, as Ford underwent spinal fusion surgery in 2004 due to narrowing of his spinal column. Prince said that while Ford’s injury was more severe, it was good to get some perspective from a player who did go through a neck procedure and returned to game.
“Just picking his brain, things he went through coming back, things that he may still be dealing with,” Prince said. “It was definitely good to pick his brain and hear what he had to say.
“’Just get strong’ (was the advice), if you want to really test yourself. Obviously when I’m cleared and able to you just gotta really put yourself some stress as far as shooting and basketball activities to see where you’re really at. I can’t wait until I get to do those type of things and put myself through that to really see where I am and try to come back better than what I was.”
5 numbers
1-4: Bucks record this season when they have a rest advantage. Since the beginning of last season, Milwaukee is 11-11 against teams playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
3-6: Bucks record this season when playing a team that on the second night of a back-to-back.
6.9: Percent chance the Bucks have at making the playoffs heading into the game vs. Denver, per ESPN analytics.
26.3: Percent chance the Bucks have at winning a top four pick in the NBA draft lottery heading into the game vs. Denver, per the lottery-tracking web site www.tankathon.com.
51.2: Bucks winning percentage under Doc Rivers, the lowest percentage for the team since the team won at a 47.8% clip from 2014-18 under Jason Kidd.
Bucks to open doors early due to cold
The doors to Fiserv Forum will open at 7 p.m. for the 8:30 p.m. game time due to the cold weather.
Is Giannis playing?
Yes.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is not on the injury report and will play in his 13th straight game since returning from a soleus strain in his calf Dec. 27.
Milwaukee Bucks injury report
Bucks starting lineup
What time is the Bucks game?
Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
What channel is the Bucks game on?
The game will be streamed nationally on Amazon Prime Video with Eric Collins, Brent Barry and Cassidy Hubbarth on the call. It will be simulcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks on the broadcast.
Bucks vs. Nuggets odds
Milwaukee is a 6.5-point favorite over Denver, with the over/under 219.5 points per BetMGM.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Giannis Antetokounmpo subbed out late for injury as Nuggets beat Bucks
Reporting by Jim Owczarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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