Denver’s walking-wounded roster—missing 84.6 points of nightly firepower—just served notice that no one wants to see them at full strength after Hardaway Jr. and Gordon hijacked crunch time to bury Milwaukee.
The Box-Score Shock: How Denver Won Without Jokic & Murray
The Nuggets entered Pepsi Center on Sunday without Nikola Jokic (left knee bone bruise), Jamal Murray (sprained left ankle) and three other rotation pieces—effectively 84.6 of their nightly scoring average in street clothes. Yet they controlled the glass, forced Milwaukee into 17 turnovers and leaned on a three-headed attack:
- Tim Hardaway Jr.: 25 pts on 9-17 FG, 5-10 3PT—his highest total since arriving in the Mile-High trade.
- Aaron Gordon: 23 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk—anchoring both ends as the lone healthy starter.
- Peyton Watson: 19-8-6, continuing a torrid seven-game stretch in which he’s averaging 23.7 ppg & 6.9 rpg.
Denver’s bench—sub-20 minutes from Zeke Nnaji (14 pts, 11 reb, first double-double of 2025-26)—outscored Milwaukee’s reserves 42-27, flipping a category the Bucks usually dominate.
Giannis’ 31-11-8 Not Enough: Milwaukee’s Fourth-Quarter Collapse
Giannis Antetokounmpo did everything but close: 31 points on 12-22 shooting, 11 assists, eight rebounds and a relentless downhill assault that trimmed an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to 105-102 inside the final minute. But the Bucks misfired on back-to-back game-tying threes by Ryan Rollins and AJ Green—a cold finish that snapped Rollins’ career-best streak of 37 straight games with 10-plus points and dropped Milwaukee to 17-21.
Milwaukee’s recent 5-2 surge masked deeper issues: they’re now 2-9 in games decided by four points or fewer, and the half-court offense stalls when perimeter shots don’t fall (10-34 from deep on Sunday). The Bucks remain ninth in the East, one game out of the play-in pack.
What This Win Signals for Denver’s Title Defense
Since Jokic limped off in Miami on Dec. 29, Denver had gone 3-4 and slipped to fourth in the West. Sunday night was a psychological reset:
- Depth Validation: Michael Malone’s system still manufactures quality looks without the two-man game that fuels the offense.
- Playoff Blueprint: Hardaway Jr. is the flamethrower they lacked in last spring’s Finals—capable of 20-point bursts that swing series.
- Timeline Relief: Jokic (day-to-day) and Murray (re-evaluated this week) can rehab without panic; the supporting cast just bought them margin.
Next Up: Momentum on the Line
Denver visits New Orleans on Tuesday, a matchup that could vault them back into the top three if Watson keeps cooking and the Pelicans remain without Zion Williamson. Milwaukee returns home to host Minnesota, desperate to avoid a second straight loss before a four-game road trip that includes Boston and Cleveland.
Stay locked on onlytrustedinfo.com for the fastest post-game breakdowns and fantasy spin—no click-outs, just instant expertise delivered the moment the buzzer sounds.
