Denver, CO (My Sportsbook) - John Salmons scored 26 points as the Bucks held on late to beat the Nuggets, 102-97, at the Pepsi Center.

Carlos Delfino added 21 and seven rebounds for the Bucks, who won for the eighth time in nine games and sit at fifth place in the Eastern Conference, six games behind Atlanta.

Salmons said it was great to win in Denver after a double-overtime victory at Sacramento on Friday.

"We knew we were under a lot of adversity," Salmons said. "We tried to come out, play hard and give it our best shot."

Ersan Ilyasova added 14 with 10 rebounds off the bench and Luc Mbah a Moute chipped in 12 and six boards, as the Bucks spoiled Denver's perfect three-game homestand and won their second straight on the road.

Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups tied the game-high with 29 points each for the Nuggets, who ended their two-game win streak, but are still a half- game ahead of Dallas for second place in the West.

"We shot 37 percent as a team. I can't remember the last time we shot that," Nuggets acting head coach Adrian Dantley said. "We didn't do a good job finishing around the rim, transition defense. They had a lot of wide open shots."

Milwaukee scored first in the fourth quarter on a Luke Ridnour jumper to take a 78-76 edge. The Bucks held the lead for most of the frame as the Nuggets got as close as one at multiple points down the stretch, but never pulled ahead. Ilyasova iced the game on a layup putting the Bucks up four with 1:12 to go.

Both squads held the lead in the first quarter, but tied at 21, Denver put together a 7-0 run for the 28-21 edge after a J.R. Smith triple. The Nuggets led 31-27 after one.

The Bucks tied the game several times in the second quarter, before finally re-taking the lead at 51-49 on a pair of Salmons free throws with under a minute to go. But Billups drained two from the charity stripe, giving the Nuggets the 54-53 halftime edge.

Milwaukee led by as many as eight in the third at 69-61 before Denver tied the game at 76 to end the frame.

Game Notes

Nuggets coach George Karl missed his seventh game due to undergoing cancer treatment...The Bucks won in Denver for just the fourth time in the last 19 tries...Bucks center Andrew Bogut faced foul trouble all game and finished with two points and five fouls in 15:11 of game time...Denver converted on just 3-of-14 from three-point range...The Nuggets outrebounded Milwaukee, 53-40.