Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks past Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in a battle of five of the past six winners of the Most Valuable Player award and two of the last four champions.

Here are three takeaways from the Nuggets’ 121-112 loss Thursday at Fiserv Forum:

1. There’s a better chance this will go down as a game between six of the last seven MVPs by the end of the season. Jokic finished with his 27th triple-double of the season, posting 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. He did so on 13-of-16 shooting from the field. Antetokounmpo has a lot of ground to make it a three-man race with Jokic and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but he took a step in that direction with 28 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists while playing on a minutes restriction. Gilgeous-Alexander’s still the favorite, but Jokic and Antetokounmpo both put on shows Thursday night that were worthy of deserving winners.

2. Jokic’s numbers would’ve been even better and a loss could’ve easily turned into a win if he got a little more help. Michael Porter Jr. had his worst shooting game of the season, finishing 5 of 22 from the field and 2 of 11 from 3, while Aaron Gordon went 4 for 13, including a 1-for-6 mark from 3-point range. Jamal Murray was Denver’s second-leading scorer with 20 points, but he needed 20 shots to get there. Antetokounmpo’s help came from Brook Lopez, who scored 22 points on 16 shots, and Damian Lillard, who added 19 points on nine shots.

3. Porter’s struggles were the most pronounced among Denver’s supporting cast, but he wasn’t all bad. Despite the frustrating shooting, Porter grabbed 10 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass, dished out three assists and recorded a steal in his 35 minutes on the court. He only turned the ball over once and committed a couple of fouls. The shot selection wasn’t a problem. He just missed some uncharacteristic shots both inside and outside. Porter’s three-game stretch where he scored 30 or more points just before the break feels like a long time ago, but he’s grabbed 10 or more rebounds three times in the four games since and hasn’t committed more than two turnovers in any of those games.

BUCKS 121, NUGGETS 112

What happened: The second quarter started with the teams tied at 30, and Denver took a 57-54 lead to halftime. Milwaukee led by three to start the fourth quarter. The Nuggets had chances to make it interesting in the final minutes but dropped to 38-21.

What went right: Denver doubled up Milwaukee on the break. In a game that featured the league’s two top scorers on the break – Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver’s Christian Braun – the Nuggets finished with a 32-16 edge in fast-break points.

What went wrong: The Nuggets were outscored significantly from both behind the 3-point line and at the free-throw line. The Bucks went 14 of 34 (41.2%) from deep to Denver’s 9 for 34 (26.5%). Milwaukee made 23 of 28 free throws, while the Nuggets finished 9 for 11.

Highlight of the night: Christian Braun added to his growing collection of dunks over opposing centers. In the final five minutes, the third-year shooting guard took a handoff and a screen from Nikola Jokic to get a head of steam going to the hoop. He elevated and cocked the ball back for a one-handed poster over Brook Lopez, Milwaukee’s 7-foot-1 center.

Up next: The Nuggets headed to Detroit for Friday’s game against the Pistons.