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“It was a night where we were grumpy,” - Mike Budenholzer regrets the Milwaukee Bucks’ lack of composure in the blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets

The clash of titans didn’t go the Milwaukee Bucks’ way.
Matthew Dugandzic|
“It was a night where we were grumpy,” - Mike Budenholzer regrets the Milwaukee Bucks’ lack of composure in the blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets
“It was a night where we were grumpy,” - Mike Budenholzer regrets the Milwaukee Bucks’ lack of composure in the blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets

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Milwaukee BucksDenver Nuggets

The Milwaukee Bucks-Denver Nuggets duel on Saturday night was a highly anticipated one, but the clash between conference leaders didn’t live up to its billing.

The Nuggets broke the game wide open in the second half and chalked up a 129-106, a 23-point romp that probably was not expected by many.

Coach Bud was not happy

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said his players lost their focus in the second half as they allowed the referees’ calls to get into their heads.

“It was a night where we were grumpy, and it happens,” Budenholzer said.

Milwaukee led at the half, 66-63, but fell apart in the third period, where they got outscored, 34-19. The Bucks lost their composure in the third quarter, which saw them picking up one technical foul after another.

Bobby Portis Jr. was called for a take foul on Nikola Jokic and was slapped with a technical. Even Brook Lopez, who was sitting on the bench, was also whistled for a technical at one point. Giannis Antetokounmpo accounted for Milwaukee’s third technical in the final 6:41 of the match.

Antetokounmpo and Jokic both produced big numbers, with the Bucks star finishing with 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and a steal, while the Serbian put up 31 points, six boards, 11 assists, and a steal.

Giannis just scored seven in the second half and sat out the game’s final 5:54, with the Nuggets already enjoying a big lead.

Khris says there is no excuse

Khris Middleton shrugged off Milwaukee’s loss, saying the circumstances didn’t favor the Bucks, who were without several key players and were playing the back end of a back-to-back.

“We still play, still got to be better; there’s no excuses about that,” Middleton said. “But I’m sure for a lot of fans, a lot of people out there, they’d love to see healthy teams, or not coming off back-to-backs.”

The two squads split their two-game regular season series. Milwaukee currently leads the Eastern Conference standings, while Denver is on top in the west.

Should they meet again this season, the stakes are already going to be higher, and fans can look forward to a more competitive duel.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.