Nikola Jokic recorded his 50th career triple-double with 37 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to help the Denver Nuggets cool off the Milwaukee Bucks, 128-97 on Tuesday night.
For Jokic, it was his ninth triple-double of the season and came one night after he finished with 39 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in a win against the Bulls as Denver secured its third win in a row to open a five-game road trip.
The Nuggets improved to 41-9 when Jokic finishes with a triple-double and were very effective on offense shooting 55.8 percent (53-for-95) as they snapped the Bucks' five-game winning streak despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's 27 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Antetokounmpo also had his streak of four consecutive games scoring 35 or more points, which was tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most in franchise history, halted by a strong effort from the Nuggets' frontcourt.
Jokic had nine assists in the first half and Jamal Murray scored 18 of his 24 points before the half as Denver led by as many as 21 points in the second quarter. The Nuggets scored 99 points after three quarters shooting 55.4 percent (41-74) over that span.
The Nuggets' zone defense contributed to Milwaukee shooting only 27.5 percent from 3-point range (11-for-40). Denver also dominated in the paint outscoring Milwaukee 56-32 and 20-7 in second chance points.
Will Barton and Michael Porter Jr. contributed to that effort at both ends. Barton finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Porter Jr. totaled 11 points and seven rebounds.
PJ Dozier also finished with 19 points and Monte Morris added 10.
Khris Middleton finished with 20 points and six assists for the Bucks, and Brook Lopez added 12 points and five rebounds.
Jrue Holiday, who played his second game since returning from a 10-game absence due to health and safety protocols, was still not in his typical form. Holiday finished with four points on 2-of-6 shooting and three assists in 18 minutes and 15 seconds.