Preview: Denver At Milwaukee
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, November 30, 2015
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Denver Nuggets have lost six straight – five by double digits – and do not play a home game again until Dec. 8, just the kind of opponent the Milwaukee Bucks may need right now. The reeling Nuggets look to snap their slide as they continue a five-game road trip Monday at struggling Milwaukee.
Due in large part to a dismal five-point third quarter, Denver dropped a 92-81 decision at Dallas to begin the trip on Saturday, already its 12th double-digit loss of the season. “You can’t go on the road and beat yourself,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters. “We talked about that at halftime. When you are struggling to score, you cannot beat yourself by turning the ball over that many times.” Denver committed 22 turnovers while recording just 17 assists in the contest, which marked the fifth time it had been held to 81 points or fewer. Including a one-point loss at Denver earlier this month and Sunday’s 87-82 defeat at Charlotte, the Bucks have dropped eight of their last 10.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (6-11): Denver was without its best 3-point shooter Saturday as guard Gary Harris sat due to a concussion. Reserve forward Will Barton did his best to account for the absence with a season high-tying four triples to go along with eight rebounds and four assists, tied for the team high. The Nuggets also got a boost in the return of Kenneth Faried, who came back from a three-game absence due to an ankle sprain to produce 10 points in 14 minutes off the bench.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (6-11): The Bobcats on Sunday were limited at times, but continued a troubling trend for Milwaukee by burying 15-of-31 3-pointers. Opponents have made at least 10 from beyond the arc in each of the last six losses for the Bucks, combining to shoot a whopping 47.8 percent from long range in that span. Struggling guard Michael Carter-Williams was finally relegated to a bench role against Charlotte and finished with three points in a season-low 16 minutes, giving him 10 points on 2-of-13 shooting over his last three games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nuggets SF Danilo Gallinari scored 25 points and Faried had 19 as Denver outlasted Milwaukee 103-102 at home on Nov. 11.
2. Bucks PF Giannis Antetokounmpo is 24-for-38 from the floor over a four-game stretch.
3. Milwaukee SG Khris Middleton has buried 14-of-24 3-pointers while averaging 17.8 points over his last four games.
PREDICTION: Bucks 94, Nuggets 89