Six players including all five starters scored in double figures including 15 from Khris Middleton and 14 from John Henson in the Bucks first game since their blockbuster trade.
The Bucks started the first quarter on a sloppy note as they committed five early turnovers in the first five minutes that helped Denver grab an 11-4 lead. Then, the lead ballooned to 21-12 following a three by Wilson Chandler but Milwaukee reeled off seven straight points in the final 90 seconds to make it a 21-19 game.
In the second, Denver once again got off to a good start as they went on a 10-3 run but the Bucks would make a comeback on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 33 apiece. Yet, every time Milwaukee made a strong run the Nuggets would stay one step ahead and held a 44-42 lead going into halftime.
Milwaukee had outshot Denver 44 to 36 percent but the Nuggets had scored 14 points off 11 Bucks turnovers and got plenty of second chance opportunities as they held an 11-5 offensive rebounding advantage.
The Nuggets appeared to take complete control as they hit five of their first six shots, which yielded a 58-50 advantage but the scrappy Bucks clawed their way back as they suddenly erupted on a 12-2 run and took their first lead of the game 62-60 after a Khris Middleton three. In fact, Denver went ice cold, going 5-of-24 during a 20-7 Bucks run in the final seven minutes of the third that helped Milwaukee hold the slight advantage 80-75 heading into the final period.
Early in the period, the Nuggets got within 3 points of the Bucks lead, 74-71 on a Danilo Gallinari three from the corner but that would be the closest they would get to Milwaukee. A basket by Darrell Arthur made it an 83-79 game but the Bucks closed out the contest on a 6-0 run en route to an 89-81 home victory, dropping the Nuggets to 8-20 on the road.
Wilson Chandler led Denver with 19 points on 8-of-20 shooting while rookie center Jusuf Nurkic had a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds to go with three blocks.
Newly-acquired Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams did not see any action as he was sidelined with a sprained right big toe but clearly was not needed.
Besides Middleton and Henson, starter Jerryd Bayless scored 11 points to go with 7 boards and 8 assists while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 10 points and 9 rebounds. Jared Dudley had 11 and 8 rebounds and O.J. Mayo had 13 off the bench.
The Bucks will host the first place Atlanta Hawks Sunday at 3:30 p.m. EST while the Nuggets travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder at 7 p.m. EST.