On the second night of a back-to-back, the Denver Nuggets took down the Milwaukee Bucks 102-100 that looked like it was trending toward a Nuggets blowout until the very end.
The Nuggets did great work through the first three quarters and understandably took their foot off the gas in the fourth. Denver led by as many as 23 points with positive performances across the board. Milwaukee tried to go quietly into the night on several occasions, but several Giannis Antetokounmpo free throws and some cold shooting from Denver helped make it a game at the end. The Nuggets held on for dear life though as a Kyle Kuzma jumper at the buzzer from near halfcourt came up short.
What made this such a special win for Denver was the rotation they played. All of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Peyton Watson, Cam Johnson, Christian Braun, and Jonas Valanciunas sat out the game. Some were prolonged absences. Others were maintenance on a back-to-back. It didn’t end up mattering though as the Nuggets that played stepped up in their place and were solid for juuuust long enough to get the win.
Julian Strawther led the way with 20 points, starting at shooting guard to reduce the workload for Tim Hardaway Jr.. It was a nice game for Strawther, who came alive in the third quarter and helped the Nuggets break the game open with floaters, three-pointers, driving layups high off the glass, and more.
#Nuggets role players stepping up!
Julian Strawther drives the court for the transition floater after Spencer Jones pulls down a tough rebound, then Jalen Pickett deflects and steals, then drains the 3-pointer at the other end off the assist from Strawther#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/09lceIbMTg
— Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) January 24, 2026
Hardaway broke his slump in the second half, having missed 22 straight three-pointers before hitting some important shots in the second half. He finished the game with 17 points on 3-of-9 from distance, going 4-of-4 from the free throw line including two in the pressure cooker.
Hardaway even cocked back an absolute hammer of a dunk late in the third quarter to emphasize just how back he was from that slump.
Tim Hardaway Jr. throws down the EMPHATIC jam
Nuggets leading in the 3Q on Prime!
Tap to watch: t.co/7LoOEtUeji pic.twitter.com/PRodg3EG7j
— NBA (@NBA) January 24, 2026
Bruce Brown also played really well. The plus-minus doesn’t reflect it, but Brown did a nice job slashing for layups and attacking gaps in the first half. His defense was great against the Bucks perimeter group, and he even hit a three in the second half as well.
Jalen Pickett and Zeke Nnaji also started and had some chemistry on offense. Pickett navigated reasonably well in the pick and roll with 13 points and 7 assists compared to just one turnover. Nnaji shot the ball relatively inefficiently but collected 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks in his 37 minutes. Both were integral for maintaining the structure of what the Nuggets wanted to do on both ends of the floor.
Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Aaron Gordon started the game too, but he grabbed at the back of his right hamstring near halftime and appeared to be in some pain. Gordon never returned to the court, and the Nuggets will have to be cautious with Gordon if this is a re-aggravation of the same injury he sustained that held him out for roughly six weeks.
David Adelman said Aaron Gordon is optimistic the hamstring strain is not as bad, but they won’t know for sure until they get it fully evaluated.
Adelman said “nobody made a mistake” in having Gordon play. They did the stress test & believed based on the results he was good.
— Katy Winge (@katywinge) January 24, 2026
Gordon played 33 minutes in last night’s game against the Washington Wizards, and the Nuggets training staff did their stress tests on Gordon and decided that he was good to go if he felt up to it. Whether that was the right decision or not is moot at this point. Gordon will likely sit for extended time to ensure the calf injury is as fully healed as possible with Denver nearing the All-Star break anyway.
Giannis wasn’t particularly aggressive this game until driving consistently to the free throw line in the second half. After clearly injuring his calf late in the fourth quarter, it’s a bit more understandable why. The Bucks were morose throughout the entirety of the contest while Giannis passed out of shots at the rim against ball pressure. It wasn’t until midway through the fourth quarter when they found any spark at all. The Nuggets held on for dear life though.
Whatever the case, the Nuggets continue to find ways to win, even when as shorthanded as they are. At 31-15, the Nuggets have navigated the middle of their season really well. There have been ups and downs, but each and every time the Nuggets have had a blip on the radar, they’ve responded nicely to it. No matter who’s on the floor, the Nuggets have played to win, and that’s really cool.
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