The Denver Nuggets got a career-high 56 points from Nikola Jokic and still fell to the Washington Wizards 122-113 in a low point for Denver’s season. Even without Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon who were held out of the game with injuries, the Nuggets should have been able to handle a banged-up Wizards team that had lost 16 in a row. But again the Nuggets could not score from deep, going 5-for-24 behind the arc while the Wizards were 16-for-41. Jokic’s 56-16-8 line was wasted and the Nuggets go searching for answers because with their defense drowned in a swamp, their bench putting up just 21 points – 18 from Julian Strawther, the second-highest total for Denver – and their deep shot on deep freeze, there just wasn’t enough effort to overcome a Wizards squad that showed no fear from the tip. Denver is not scaring anyone. They are soft on both sides of the ball, and even the greatest player in the world couldn’t tip the scales in this one despite his best efforts. The worst loss of the year had better shake this team up, because this cannot continue.
Game Flow
Washington won the tip, but couldn’t convert and Denver turned the ball over multiple times before an MPJ steal led to a fastbreak bucket for Peyton Watson to start the scoring. Washington made a three and Jokic had his third turnover that led to a traditional three-point play before Russ and Jokic finished layups. Denver looked slow early – not a new experience – as Watson got dunked on by Champagnie and then Coulibaly dunked after Jokic had his shot blocked to give Washington the 15-10 lead. Several early defensive miscues along with turnovers hurt them, with Braun failing to close out on Jordan Poole then blowing a layup the other way. Michael Porter Jr. finally broke the Washington run with a long bucket, then Jokic made a spectacular over the backboard shot that didn’t count and came back the same possession to make a traditional three-point play. Coulibaly made an answering three, Strawther finished a full-speed layup and then Russell Westbrook dunked off a steal to get Denver back within 4 at 23-19. Butler hit another three for Washington as they went 5-for-11 from deep to begin the game, then finished a layup the next time down. MPJ stepped out of bounds for another turnover, but Jokic had a pair of buckets. Watson missed a three, Poole and Christian Braun exchanged shots, Watson had a beautiful spinning finish but no Nugget played defense that quarter and Denver trailed the worst team in basketball after one, 36-29.
Porter stepped out of bounds again on a three, Braun made a tough layup and then Julian Strawther finished a floater after Anthony Gill’s layup in traffic for the Wizards. MPJ got a paint deflection and a pair of passes to Deandre Jordan that resulted in free throws but just one point. A Strawther floater closed it to 39-36 and forced a time out. Strawther blew a handoff exchange with Jordan that let to a Wizards bucket, Hunter Tyson got free throws, and Jokic made a layup on one end to make up for the turnover that Nikola had on the other end. Poole made a Washington three, Strawther made a tough layup and then got a steal to get free throws for Westbrook, but Denver still trailed 49-43. Poole made another pair of threes and had 11 points in a row for Washington as they took the lead back to 12. Jokic buried a 15-footer, Watson blew an easy dunk, and Jokic got another finish to get it back to 10. Jokic had another paint bucket with uncalled fouls against him, then a great pass to MPJ who got fouled in the paint. MPJ then blew yet another baseline defensive play to allow the Wizards a layup, Jokic and Poole exchanged threes, and Poole got a terrible call to get three free throws to end the half. The Wizards went into halftime up 69-57, the most points the Wizards scored in a half all year.
Denver opened the second half scoring with a cut by Christian Braun for a layup, then Jonas Valanciunas had an offensive goaltend. Westbrook missed a pair of free throws, but Porter grabbed a defensive rebound and then Euro-stepped around Valanciunas for a layup. Pool made another three, but Braun cut to the hoop again for a bucket. Carlton Carrington had a dunk and Valanciunas made both free throws off a Jokic foul to get the lead up to 78-63. MPJ had a good rebound, Jokic made a pair of paint buckets, and Braun’s transition layup was swatted by Coulibaly to keep the deficit at 12. Jokic had a shot that functioned as a defacto-assist to MPJ for a bucket, and MPJ returned the favor with his fifth assist of the game, getting Jokic a bucket. A Jokic steal turned into a Jokic three and suddenly Denver was down just 79-74. Valanciunas had free throws but Jokic finished a traditional three-point play. Poole had a layup finish that Jokic answered with another Porter-assisted hook. MPJ and Jokic kept firing on offense but Denver’s defense again was not getting stops as Denver’s guards especially got brutalized. Strawther buried a three to bring it back to a five-point deficit after coach Michael Malone had to take another timeout to yell about defense and rebounds. A great effort on the boards by Hunter Tyson got Jokic another bucket, but Poole just kept making shots for Washington. Jokic finally got to the free throw line after taking on the whole Wizards defense himself and got a playful shove from Poole, but Jokic was looking tired despite the action and missed them both. Poole hit a 3, Jokic finished a three-point play as well as a pair of free throws to get to 47 points through 3 quarters but Denver still trailed 99-93 after three.
Jared Butler buried yet another three for Washington, while Strawther missed a wide open one for Denver. Backdoor cuts kept dicing up the Nuggets, Pickett missed a three, and a Coulibaly floater finished a 7-0 run for the Wizards to start the quarter. Porter and Tyson both bricked threes, Strawther got to the line for 2, but Denver trailed 108-95 when Jokic came back in. Jokic made a bucket but Valanciunas answered, Strawther swished a three on a Jokic kick-out, but Valanciunas scored again. Jokic hit a three to get a new career high with 52 points at that point, made a free throw, and started a fastbreak that ended with a Braun score to make it 112-106 Washington with 5 minutes left. Strawther missed a three, then blocked a shot but it caromed to Jonas for a bucket. Jokic answered in the paint, Braun and MPJ both missed wide-open threes, but Jokic got back to the line and Westbrook forced a turnover on a review. Strawther finished a tough layup but Champagnie answered and Denver was down 7 with 1:11 left. Westbrook made a putback on a Jokic miss, Jokic missed again the next time down, and Westbrook was out of bounds on a scramble for the loose ball. Champagnie had an easy dunk with zero defense from the Nuggets and the Wizards finished off the Nuggets 122-113.
Final Thoughts
– The Denver Nuggets need to find some pride. The Nuggets had 12 turnovers at halftime. Denver hit one three pointer in the first half on 8 attempts, and naturally it was Jokic that made it. Denver’s shooters aren’t shooting from deep, and its defenders aren’t defending. Peyton Watson and Christian Braun were both terrible on defense for long stretches of the game. It’s one thing when the shooters get lost on defense, but the Nuggets kept up the theme of the year against a terrible squad: they do not know who they are or what they are doing. It’s unacceptable to be a quarter of the way through the season and still playing soft, tentative basketball that is poorly executed. Every basket for the Wizards was easy, and they haven’t even been able to find the basket successfully in most of their games this year. As Chris Marlowe noted on the broadcast, the Nuggets have had the halftime lead only 4 times in 21 games so far, and it didn’t get better after the break. Denver had no desire to provide resistance, and the “Jokic will bail us out” expectations of this squad have gotten ridiculous. If they don’t start saving themselves, nothing is going to change.
– Something has to change. I don’t know why the Nuggets are so comfortable rolling out this kind of effort on a nightly basis. They used to get away with it when they could buckle down on defense for a couple of quarters and squeak out regular season wins, but that’s not happening any more and they’re still loafing around on both sides of the ball waiting for the Jokic bailout. The discrepancy in effort and intensity between Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets is staggering, to say nothing of effectiveness. This is the kind of showing that gets people fired, or traded, sooner rather than later – and rightly so. It’s frankly insulting to play this kind of basketball next to the greatest player in the world game after game. The rest of the Nuggets need to show up to do their jobs or get moved for players who will. The Nuggets, players and coaches both, had better do some soul searching because wasting this year from Jokic is a crime and eventually changes will have to be made – someone has to pay the price.
