The Denver Nuggets closed out their five game road trip with a solid performance against the Washington Wizards, winning 118-104 in a game that wasn’t that close.

Nikola Jokić led the way with 31 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in his 34 minutes. Jokić shot 12-of-16 from the floor, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and 5-of-5 from the free throw line, having little trouble with Wizards center Daniel Gafford. The Nuggets were +28 in the plus-minus department in those minutes, anchored by an outstanding 39-16 third quarter in which Jokić was on the floor for its entirety.

Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. each provided great support scoring. Murray logged 17 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in his 33 minutes. He shot efficiently as well, going 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-6 from three. Porter added 21 points and seven rebounds of his own, going 7-of-16 from the field and 6-of-9 from three himself. His outside shooting was absolutely lethal tonight, and he added two assists and two steals to boot.

The Nuggets finished their road trip with a 3-2 record, recovering from a dire start against the Toronto Raptors last week. Denver appears to have mostly recovered from an ugly four-game losing streak and is back to playing better basketball.

Here are my takeaways from the Nuggets final game of their five-game road trip against the Wizards:

Nuggets Big Three turns on the jets in the third quarter

The Nuggets were messing around a bit in the first half. Their level of focus wasn’t where it needed to be, and they trailed by two points heading into the second half.

After the next 12 minutes, the Nuggets led by 21 points. A 39-16 beatdown by the Nuggets starters and Bruce Brown.

Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. were absolutely fantastic during the quarter. Each of them had a three-pointer in the first few minutes. Murray looked to jam his right thumb when Gafford swiped at the basketball and hit Murray. It didn’t appear to affect him though, as he set up Porter for multiple threes, hit some shots, and made some good hustle plays defensively. Jokić also had three steals in the quarter alone and just couldn’t be stopped on the other end.

When Brown entered for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, he got in on the action too, running in transition and making some plays. He took advantage of the attention paid to Jokić on a post-up and drove baseline for a bucket as a result. His energy added to what was already an offensive onslaught by the Nuggets and turned it into a great quarter.

Aaron Gordon’s impact isn’t being felt

It was good to see Aaron Gordon get some threes to drop. He shot 2-of-3 from three tonight, and both times, Kristaps Porzingis gave him an ocean of space to set his feet and get comfortable. Gordon hitting that shot is important, because defenses are going to dare him to make them pay.

Unfortunately, the rest of Gordon’s game wasn’t great. He had 12 points on eight shots but had just one rebound, one assist, and one steal. His defense against the Wizards was mostly bad, and though he had some good moments against Porzingis in the second half, he was clearly the guy struggling the most to execute Denver’s defensive actions.

Since his return from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for five games in a row straddling the All-Star break, Gordon hasn’t had the same level of impact. His per game numbers are all down, and his outside shooting has dipped to untenable levels. It’s his level of physicality and intensity on the defensive end that has been missed most though. The Nuggets need Gordon to be an elite role player again, not the second best player. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are good enough on the offensive end to help out Jokić there. Where the Nuggets need Gordon most is on defense, bothering opposing wings and forwards with his strength and athleticism. That didn’t happen tonight and it hasn’t happened for awhile.

Bench looks no different than any other time

In the first half, the Nuggets once again went with their stagger of Jamal Murray with the second unit, leading a group that features Bruce Brown, Christian Braun, Jeff Green, and Zeke Nnaji. That group had a plus-minus of -4 in about seven minutes and struggled to get into any semblance of rhythm on either end. Murray was blitzed and doubled in the pick-and-roll, and while Green found opportunities as a scorer, they were the only successful opportunities the Nuggets had. The defense was also bad with that group, notably the rebounding.

In the second half, with Murray and the starters cooking, Malone flipped his rotation with Caldwell-Pope. To begin the fourth quarter, the Nuggets bench with KCP had a plus-minus of -4 in four minutes, causing a quick substitution from Michael Malone to get Jokić and Murray back out there. In those four minutes, the bench struggled on both ends, bricking open shots and allowing good looks for the Wizards. There was no discernible difference between this bench stint at the first half bench stint. If anything, putting pressure on Brown to be the primary creator made things worse.

The Nuggets are still looking for better with their bench unit. I maintain that the only “solution” is to add another starter or two to Murray’s rotation. Murray’s playmaking has improved, and the Nuggets would benefit from having a player who can run the team out there. Surrounding him with better shooting is also imperative, as the bench quartet the Nuggets used simply doesn’t space the floor well enough or defend well enough around Murray to be consistent.

Only nine games left to tinker with the rotations before they really start to matter in the playoffs.

Final Rotations