It’s no secret that the biggest task for the Milwaukee Bucks entering Monday’s contest against the Denver Nuggets was to slow down two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that Denver’s success centers around Jokic and that the Bucks somehow had to find a way to contain him if they wanted to stand a chance against the defending champs.
Well, this is exactly what Milwaukee did on Monday, and it resulted in a huge 112-95 victory for the home side. This was thanks in large part to Brook Lopez.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Heaps Praise on Brook Lopez
Lopez got one of the toughest defensive assignments anyone can get on Monday as he matched up against Jokic. Giannis Antetokounmpo also did his bit to try and slow down the Nuggets superstar but for the most part, it was Lopez who was tasked with the dirty work.
“Obviously as big as Nikola, makes it as tough as possible for him,” Antetokounmpo said of Lopez, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I don’t think there’s a lot of players that can guard Jokić one-on-one in the league. And Brook, there was a lot of possessions that he did that. He just makes it as tough as possible. … He can take that bump. Not a lot of people can take that bump down low and then still contest the shot. He’s able to do that.”
There’s obviously no stopping Jokic, who still finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. However, had it not been for Lopez’s hard work down low, it’s very much possible that the result of this game would have been much different.
No Man Is an Island
Giannis then went on to concede that Lopez could not have done it alone. The Bucks put in a collective effort against Jokic on the defensive end, which is pretty much the only way you could prevent an offensive onslaught from the five-time All-NBA big man.
“Nikola is very, very talented,” Antetokounmpo continued. “Even though I think Brook does an excellent job when he played him, guarding him one-on-one, you have to help. You have to make it a little bit crowded. It’s not a one-man job. It’s the whole team gotta kind of make it as tough as possible.”
It was mission accomplished for Giannis, Lopez, and the rest of the Bucks, who have now evened their season series against Jokic and Co., 1-1.
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