When Nikola Jokić got injured, everyone expected a complete collapse of Denver and a steep downfall. Instead, the exact opposite is happening. Even the Serbian center probably cannot believe what his teammates are doing. Their latest shock came in Milwaukee, where they celebrated an away win — 102:100.
Without the long-injured Jokić, Christian Braun, and Cam Johnson, head coach David Adelman also did not count on the remaining starters in this game. Jamal Murray, Peyton Watson, and Jonas Valančiūnas did not play either. From the starting five, only Aaron Gordon was on the floor, and only for 16 minutes. He injured his tendon in the final seconds of the first half and is awaiting additional examinations to determine how long a layoff he will face.
On the court were players who, with all due respect, would have trouble even in the G League. At that point, the ball was taken by guard Julian Strawther, who usually “warms the bench” and rarely plays. He did not shy away from the responsibility, taking the most shots in the second half (as many as 11, making 5). His three-point shot was not falling (1/5), but his two-point shooting was (4/6, along with 5/6 from the free-throw line). He scored 16 points in the second half, supported by the experienced Tim Hardaway Jr., who added 15 in the remainder of the game.
For the home team, Giannis Antetokounmpo played and was also injured, but even with him and all the key players, the Bucks took a “slap.” They managed to make the game close and in the final two minutes cut the deficit from “-10” (97:87) to “-2” (99:97), but Hardaway made both free throws, and Pickett made one, intentionally missed the other, and left the Bucks without a chance for a comeback.
When it comes to the scorers’ list, Denver was led by Strawther (20, 5 reb, 3 ast), Hardaway Jr. (17, 4 reb), Bruce Brown (15), and the much-criticized Zeke Nnaji (11, 12 reb). For the Bucks, the best performers were Antetokounmpo (22, 13 reb, 7 ast) and Ryan Rollins (21, 4/10 from three).
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Source: Mondo: Foto: Youtube NBA