The crowd at the Ball Arena finally got their MVP showdown.
After reigning Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid sat down yet another game in Denver, former MVPs Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic gave the crowd a show as the Nuggets defended home turf twice in a row, beating the Bucks, 113-107.
The Joker rallied the Denver Nuggets with his 14th triple-double of the season--25 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists. His main matchup, fellow two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, put up a 29-point, 12-rebound outing.
While the two MVPs naturally got the attention, it was Jamal Murray that took the spotlight, pouring 14 points in the fourth to help push the champion Nuggets to victory. He finished with a game-high 35 points.
Brook Lopez and Damian Lillard had 19 and 18 points, respectively for the Bucks. Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shelled out 13 and 12 points of their own, respectively for Denver.
The loss kept new Bucks tactician Doc Rivers with 1,097 wins--one victory away from tying Larry Brown for the eighth-most among coaches in NBA history.
The Nuggets improved to 33-15 for no. 2 in the West, while the Bucks dropped to 32-15 for no. 2 in the East.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
