NBA highlights on Jan. 29: Nuggets teach Bucks a lesson in star duo contest

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 113-107 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Monday, securing their second straight win.

Both teams have a back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) – Nikola Jokic on Denver's side and Giannis Antetokounmpo on Milwaukee's side – who also led their teammates to win the title as the NBA Finals MVP. Jokic shot 10-for-25 from the field to drop a triple-double of 25 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists. Antetokounmpo made 11 of his 19 field goal (FG) attempts to get 29 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.

The Bucks did their homework on how to contain Jokic. They had Brook Lopez drop back in the paint and tried to leave as few mismatch chances as possible for Jokic to use by having Antetokounmpo switch to guard him or double-teaming him as soon as possible. Offensively, Lopez drained five triples out of nine attempts, making Jokic pay whether he closed out or not.

Jokic didn't have his best shooting touch in Monday's game, especially when he often had to shoot over the long arms of Lopez and Antetokounmpo. He missed 12 of his 17 jumpers but went 5-for-8 in FGs in charging the rim. Even the elite big man defender in Lopez couldn't stop Jokic from making layups and hook shots with superb footwork and soft touch near the rim.

The Nuggets didn't have the best defensive solution for Antetokounmpo, especially when Aaron Gordon was struggling with fouls. The best they could do was to avoid turnovers and, thus, leave as few chances for easy buckets in fast break as possible for the "Greek Freak" to exploit. Antetokounmpo got only six of his points in early offense.

When the No. 1 aces of both sides couldn't dominate the game like they were used to, it fell to the second-in-command to take over. Jamal Murray overmatched Damian Lillard on this front for the Nuggets to beat the Bucks.

Murray went 13-for-22 from the field for 35 points on Monday night. The coordination between him and Jokic was beyond words. The two took turns to run the game as smoothly as silk. Murray got 21 points in the first half and then left the stage for Jokic to drop 11 points and five assists in the third period. As the Bucks invested more defensive attention in Jokic in the fourth quarter, Murray stood out to score 14 points to seal the deal.

By contrast, Lillard and Antetokounmpo still haven't figured out how to make it work as a pair. Both tried to adapt to the other's style of playing, but Antetokounmpo has never played like a blue-collar finisher, nor is Lillard a skilled catch-and-shooter. As a result, the Bucks' offense looked very split.

Lillard shot 5-for-13 from the field and made only two triples out of four attempts in Monday's game. When he couldn't provide explosive scoring performance, his weakness as a defensive deadweight would cost the Bucks badly. From Murry to Gordon, nearly every Nuggets player tried to attack him to breach the opponents' defense.

Other games on Monday (away teams come first):

Los Angeles Clippers 108-118 Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers ended the Clippers' five-game winning streak at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on Monday. They couldn't stop Kawhi Leonard from going 13-for-25 in FGs to score 30 points, but Donovan Mitchell replied with a double-double of 28 points and 12 assists.

The Clippers lacked the second player to make solid offensive contributions like Jarrett Allen, who got 20 points and 17 rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, after making six of his nine FG attempts and eight of his 11 free throws. Even Mobley made his first appearance for the Cavaliers after missing 22 games because of an injury. He had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Minnesota Timberwolves 107-101 Oklahoma City Thunder

The Timberwolves gained the Western Conference leading position back from the Thunder by defeating them at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Monday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert combined to drop 33 points and 27 rebounds for the Timberwolves, pinning down Chet Holmgren.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) scored a game-high 37 points in addition to seven rebounds and eight assists. He alone earned 16 free throws, more than the whole team of the Timberwolves (15). Nonetheless, without enough support from his teammates, SGA couldn't keep his side from suffering their second consecutive loss.

New York Knicks 113-92 Charlotte Hornets

New Orleans Celtics 112-118 Boston Celtics

Utah Jazz 114-147 Brooklyn Nets

Phoenix Suns 118-105 Miami Heat

Los Angeles Lakers 119-135 Houston Rockets

Sacramento Kings 103-94 Memphis Grizzlies

Washington Wizards 118-113 San Antonio Spurs

Orlando Magic 129-131 Dallas Mavericks

Philadelphia 76ers 104-130 Portland Trail Blazers