Milwaukee, WI (My Sportsbook) - Charlie Villanueva scored a season-high 36 points and Ramon Sessions had 27 points and eight assists, as the Milwaukee Bucks edged the Denver Nuggets, 120-117, at the Bradley Center.

Villanueva finished 14-of-23 from the field, including 7-of-11 from three- point range, while Richard Jefferson chipped in with 17 points for the Bucks, who has won four of their last six games.

"Obviously, Charlie [Villanueva] and Ramon [Sessions] carried the offensive load for us," Bucks head coach Scott Skiles said. "We had some other guys chipping in with some points. For the most part, those two guys made the big offensive plays when we needed to have them."

Carmelo Anthony led Denver with 33 points and nine rebounds, while Chauncey Billups finished with 21 points. The Nuggets have lost two straight, including a 116-99 setback at Chicago on Friday. Despite the loss, the Nuggets finished their eight-game road trip with a 5-3 record.

Nene donated 17 points and seven boards before suffering a right knee contusion in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter after colliding with Jefferson. He will be further evaluated in Denver on Monday.

Renaldo Balkman registered 10 points and Linas Kleiza had 13 points to go along with six rebounds for Denver. Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin sat out with a sore back.

In the fourth quarter and the game tied at 96, neither team was able to pull away by more than three points at any stage of the period. Charlie Bell's two from the foul line gave the Bucks a 112-111 lead with 3:08 to play.

After both teams came up empty the next two trips down the floor, Anthony's two free throws put the Nuggets back in front by a point. Milwaukee would respond with a Jefferson layup to reclaim a one-point edge at 114-113 with 1:39 left.

The Bucks got multiple attempts on their next possession thanks in part to some good hustle on the offensive boards. A Villanueva short jumper in the lane gave the hosts a three-point lead at 116-113 with 33.3 seconds to go.

On Denver's next trip, J.R. Smith's off-balanced three drew nothing but air and Milwaukee secured the rebound. Luke Ridnour was fouled and made 1-of-2 from the stripe to extend the lead to four.

"I think J.R. [Smith] made the decision [to shoot] on his own," Nuggets head coach George Karl said. "He was our first option. He has the ability to make shots off-balance a little bit."

Following a layup by Anthony and 1-of-2 effort from the line by Sessions, the Bucks would again have a three-point advantage, this time for good. An attempted Billups' shot with four seconds left came up short and Milwaukee held on for the win.

In a high-scoring and back-and-forth first quarter, Villanueva's half-court heave to end the period gave the Bucks a 36-35 lead.

The up-tempo play continued in the second and after six straight points from Kleiza got the Nuggets even, Smith drained a three-pointer to put Denver ahead 44-41 a little over two minutes in.

Milwaukee maintained a slim edge for the majority of the quarter. But Denver mounted a 10-1 run in the last minute of the half. Dahntay Jones capped the surge with a half-court buzzer-beater, giving the visitors a 72-69 lead at the break.

Midway through the third quarter, a pair of free throws by Anthony put the Nuggets up by five at 84-79. But a Sessions' three-point play, a technical free throw and trey by Villanueva gave the Bucks a brief 93-90 edge.

Denver would get a Carter jumper and 1-of-2 effort from the charity stripe by Kleiza in the final minute to tie the game at 96-96 heading into the fourth quarter.

Game Notes

Denver will host Boston on Monday, while Milwaukee will visit Dallas on Wednesday...Despite the setback, the Nuggets have won four of the last six games in the series, including a 114-105 victory in Denver on November 18.