3rd Quarter Report
Only one more quarter stands between the Nuggets and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. Sitting on a score of 82-75, they have looked like the better team, but there’s still one more quarter to play.
If the Nuggets keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 33-15 in no time. On the other hand, the Bucks will have to make due with a 32-15 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Milwaukee Bucks @ Denver Nuggets
Current Records: Milwaukee 32-14, Denver 32-15
How To Watch
- When: Monday, January 29, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET
- Where: Ball Arena — Denver, Colorado
- TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $52.75
What to Know
The Bucks have enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Denver Nuggets at 9:00 p.m. ET on Monday at Ball Arena. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
The oddsmakers set the bar high, but the Bucks and the Pelicans didn’t disappoint and broke past the 243 point over/under on Saturday. Milwaukee put the hurt on New Orleans with a sharp 141-117 win. The Bucks pushed the score to 112-87 by the end of the third, a deficit the Pelicans cut but never quite recovered from.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were among the main playmakers for the Bucks as the former dropped a double-double on 30 points and 12 rebounds and the latter scored 26 points along with nine assists and six rebounds. Antetokounmpo hasn’t dropped below ten rebounds for six straight games.
Meanwhile, Denver didn’t have too much breathing room in their contest against Philadelphia on Saturday, but they still walked away with a 111-105 win. The win was just what the Nuggets needed coming off of a 122-84 defeat in their prior contest.
The Nuggets’ success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Nikola Jokic led the charge by dropping a double-double on 26 points and 16 rebounds. Jokic has been hot recently, having posted ten or more rebounds the last nine times he’s played.
Milwaukee has been performing well recently as they’ve won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 32-14 record this season. As for Denver, they pushed their record up to 32-15 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Bucks haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 12.6 turnovers per game. However, it’s not like the Nuggets (currently ranked fifth in turnovers per game) struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging only 11.8 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Bucks are hoping to beat the odds on Monday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. Bettors picking them against the spread have some confidence (to put it mildly), as the team is sitting on a six-game streak of failing to cover when playing on the road.
Odds
Denver is a 4-point favorite against Milwaukee, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 4-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is set at 238.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model.
Series History
Denver and Milwaukee both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Mar 25, 2023 – Denver 129 vs. Milwaukee 106
- Jan 25, 2023 – Milwaukee 107 vs. Denver 99
- Jan 30, 2022 – Denver 136 vs. Milwaukee 100
- Nov 26, 2021 – Milwaukee 120 vs. Denver 109
- Mar 02, 2021 – Denver 128 vs. Milwaukee 97
- Feb 08, 2021 – Milwaukee 125 vs. Denver 112
- Mar 09, 2020 – Denver 109 vs. Milwaukee 95
- Jan 31, 2020 – Denver 127 vs. Milwaukee 115
- Nov 19, 2018 – Milwaukee 104 vs. Denver 98
- Nov 11, 2018 – Milwaukee 121 vs. Denver 114
