You CANNOT, under any circumstances, lose that game if you’re the Denver Nuggets.
After a tough loss in Cleveland against the team with the best record in the league, the Nuggets traveled to Washington DC to face the Wizards in a battle against the worst record in the league.
Suffice to say, it didn’t go well. The Nuggets lost 122-113 in absolutely ridiculous fashion.
Nikola Jokic had 56 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists in his 38 minutes. The Nuggets were -1 in that time. Jokic willed them to those minutes off pure basketball skill, strength, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to be successful.
Around him, the rest of the team laid an absolute egg.
There was no Jamal Murray tonight, who was resting his hamstring and conspicuously not on the bench tonight. Aaron Gordon was out. He managed to make his way to Washington DC to support the team. Dario Saric wouldn’t have played even if he was available.
In their place, Michael Porter Jr. had 11 points on 14 shots. Julian Strawther had 18 points off the bench. Christian Braun had 14 points on 14 shots because he didn’t make any threes or free throws.
It didn’t matter what Jokic did tonight. The Nuggets didn’t have enough talent to keep up around him, and the Wizards had an answer on the other end.
And on the other end, the Wizards were absolutely lighting up the Nuggets perimeter defense. Jordan Poole had 39 points and eight assists. Justin Champagnie had 23 points on 13 shots. Jonas Valanciunas had 20 points and 12 rebounds to battle Jokic. I’m sure many will hold those baskets against Jokic to try to discredit an epic night, but Valanciunas had 20 points on 15 shots. It shouldn’t have been the difference.
The big issue for Denver is the three-point shooting once again. On a night that Jokic goes 3-of-5 from three, the rest of the team manages to go 2-of-18 from behind the arc. Remove Strawther’s 2-of-5 performance, and the rest of the Nuggets went 0-of-13.
On the other end, the Wizards shot 16-of-39 from three. Even the Wizards, who had lost 16 games in a row, are outshooting Denver from the perimeter right now, and it’s not even close. Denver also went 16-of-27 from the free throw line. Jokic missed four free throws (he gets a pass). Russell Westbrook and DeAndre Jordan each missed three (they don’t). Porter missed another one too.
It’s mind-numbing. This was officially the worst loss of the Nuggets season, and it wasn’t even close.
Appreciate Jokic amidst this mess
The Nuggets are 11-10. They’re effectively trying to avoid the play-in tournament by dropping out of the playoff picture completely right now. It’s an absolute mess, and something needs to change sooner than later. The Nuggets cannot be this bad. It’s just impossible for me to fathom that.
In the middle of it all, Jokic is doing some incredible things. He took 38 shots tonight. It wasn’t his most efficient performance of all-time, but he did what he had to do because he knew it was his responsibility. Rather than make a big stink out of things, the situation that the Nuggets find themselves in, Jokic continues to put his head down and work. He’s a shining example of how to handle adversity, because he doesn’t let it handle him.
On the year:
- Jokic is now averaging 31.4 points per game, second in the NBA behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Jokic is now averaging 13.6 rebounds per game, first in the NBA
- Jokic is now averaging 10.3 assists per game, second in the NBA behind Trae Young
- Jokic is now averaging 1.7 steals per game, eighth in the NBA behind some hard working defenders that don’t have to do as much as he does offensively
The skill set he has to produce those numbers is ridiculous, but more than anything, it’s ridiculous that he has to do this for the Nuggets right now. Rather than have his core group of players step up around him, the players the Nuggets have paid handsomely over the years to help him out, he’s slowly being asked to do more and more. Tonight, Porter didn’t have it as a scorer, so Jokic just absorbed Porter’s scoring responsibilities and put them on himself.
The least the Nuggets around him can do is figure out how to guard a stationary chair on the perimeter. Right now, the chair is giving Denver’s entire backcourt some serious work.
Will Jamal Murray come back and take this personally? Probably not. Will Aaron Gordon unlock some scoring as a second unit center? Perhaps. Will Michael Porter be able to string together serious second option numbers? Doubtful.
Jokic, unfortunately, will probably have to do those things too.
Final Rotations
