Nuggets at Bucks
The Denver Nuggets are about to embark on a highly favorable stretch of their schedule but first they look to complete a sweep of a two-game road trip when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. Denver rolled to a 125-107 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday and will play seven of their next eight at home after facing the Bucks.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic recorded his third triple-double in February by contributing 19 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in the victory over the Bulls. The high-scoring outing marked the 11th time in the past 23 games that Denver scored 120 or more points. Milwaukee star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will be aiming to bounce back after having just nine points on 4-of-13 shooting in Monday's 102-95 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Antetokounmpo averaged 31.3 points on 34-of-54 shooting over the previous three games before the shaky performance.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (27-33): Denver coach Michael Malone said Tuesday that power forward Kenneth Faried (back) will miss at least a week and possibly up to 10 days. The win over Chicago was the second straight game that Faried (9.7 points, 7.9 rebounds) sat out and he will probably miss another three or four games. "The back is a funny thing, and he's had back issues in the past," Malone told reporters. "It happened when he went to the basket (Friday) and got hit hard and fell hard and re-aggravated it."
ABOUT THE BUCKS (26-32): Milwaukee forward Michael Beasley dodged a serious injury when an MRI exam performed Tuesday determined that he suffered a hyperextended left knee after being injured during Monday's loss. Beasley has received a more significant role after Jabari Parker suffered a season-ending injury and the club was thrilled to hear that Beasley (9.7 points, 3.6 rebounds) could miss as few as three games. "He has been asked off to come off the bench, asked to start, and he doesn't complain," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said told reporters. "He plays every night and puts us in a position to win."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. F Wilson Chandler scored 23 points as the Nuggets notched a 121-117 victory over the Bucks on Feb. 3.
2. Denver SF Danilo Gallinari has registered three consecutive 20-point outings and is averaging 22 points during the stretch.
3. Milwaukee SG Khris Middleton (hamstring) didn't travel to Cleveland but is slated to return against the Nuggets.
PREDICTION: Bucks 104, Nuggets 99