Denver Nuggets 109, Milwaukee Bucks 120: Three Takeaways

A familiar story played out for the Denver Nuggets Friday night, as a shorthanded Mile High squad put up a fight against the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks, but a lack of firepower led to a 120-109 loss for Denver. Without Nikola Joki\u0107 for the fourth-straight game, the Nuggets losing streak extended to six games.

Milwaukee quickly got out to a 12-4 start, using hot shooting (5-of-6 from the field) to prompt an early timeout from Nuggets head coach Michael Malone. Things didn’t get any better for Denver during the remainder of the quarter, as the Bucks continued to control the game on both ends of the floor. After opening up a 16-point lead midway through the quarter, Milwaukee…