In the aftermath of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 112-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets Monday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, Monta Ellis looked every bit like a player who has played over 3,000 minutes through a NBA-leading 81 games.

He moved gingerly, dressed slowly.

Once ready to entertain the media, he looked every bit like a man who spent the day in bed due to an intestinal illness that forced head coach Jim Boylan to send him home from shootaround that morning.

"It was terrible," Boylan said.

Ellis is not a rah-rah type of player, or one to speak in an octave much louder than a whisper, as it is – but he looked and sounded drained hours later.

But looks can be deceiving.

The 27-year-old has no time for excuses, or feeling anything other than ready for 48 minutes of basketball.

"No matter what go on with me, seven o’clock, 7:30, I’m always going to be ready to play basketball," he said. "I'll deal with everything afterward. We really needed a win. Right now is not the time to throw a pity party or sit out. Right now every game is crucial."

Ellis scored 38 points in 36 minutes Monday night, but that didn’t matter much to him either. The loss to Denver was the Bucks’ fifth straight and 16th since the beginning of March. Those facts seemed to turn his insides more than any illness ever could.

"We’ve got to do more, we’ve got to get better," Ellis said. "And we’ve got to do it now."

In the 25 games since March 1, Ellis has been the Bucks best player, averaging 21.7 points, 2.2 steals and 6.8 assists in 38.6 minutes per game. He’s shooting at a 44.8 percent clip and 36.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

He had made an adjustment during the All-Star break to reassert himself offensively, to become more aggressive by not settling for jump shots, and he’s maintained that mindset in the 30 games after the break.

While his overall numbers may be down due to his poor shooting through the first 51 games of the season – he’s on pace for his worst field goal percentage since his rookie year – he is shooting a respectable 44 percent since making those changes in his game.

His numbers have been up across the board, even though he has been battling physical issues beyond just the occasional flu-type bug.

"My body has taken a beating this year," he quietly admitted. "People don't know it, but I've played through a lot of injuries this year. The only thing I want to do is win. I go out every night and I try and lead by example and try to do everything I can to help my team win."

Despite that, expect to see him on the court tonight in Oklahoma City as the Bucks try to end the regular season on a winning note. And if the Bucks are to pull off the biggest upset in the NBA playoffs beginning this weekend in Miami, Ellis will have a lot to do with that, as well.

"He’s been a warrior for us all year," Boylan said. "He’s played hurt. He’s played sick. He’s done everything.

"Some of the plays he makes. And on the defensive end sometimes the steals that he comes up with, there’s not many guys in the league that can do what he does. Then he goes down on the other end and carries the load for us. I can’t say enough about him. He’s had a great season and without him I don’t know where we’d be."