Rock bottom for the 2024-25 Denver Nuggets was in Washington. Caught in a malaise too early in the season for it to be acceptable, they fell to 11-10 on Dec. 7 after wasting a Nikola Jokic career-high scoring night and freeing the Wizards from a 16-game losing streak.
Since then, Denver has rounded into form as one of the best teams in the NBA. But lethargy has been nagging at the Nuggets again this week, in defeat and in victory. Enter the Wizards, transfigured at the trade deadline but still among the league’s most eager-to-lose organizations.
Jordan Poole’s deep 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds remaining handed the Wizards a season sweep of the Nuggets with a 126-123 win Saturday.
The game featured five lead changes in the last two minutes, the last of which occurred on Kyshawn George’s open corner 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to give Washington a 123-121 lead. Jamal Murray answered with a game-tying jumper from the right elbow with 5.3 seconds to go, but Denver was out of timeouts after Poole launched at the other end.
This time, Jokic went for 40 points, as well as 13 rebounds and nine assists. Murray went to the locker room grimacing and limping in the fourth quarter, then jogged directly out to the scorer’s table three minutes later, talking with coach Michael Malone during live play.
Murray had appeared to twist his right ankle. He finished the night with 24 points, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Russell Westbrook added 22 points and 11 assists. Denver compiled 40 helpers as a team, 25 of them in a dazzling offensive first half.
As usual, offense wasn’t a problem. But defense was often an abomination.
“The personnel is somewhat different,” Malone said of the Wizards pregame, “but hopefully the sting of that loss (will impact us). … What are we battling? We’re battling schedule.”
Whether the Nuggets’ defense deserved the benefit of the doubt in its fifth game in the last seven days is in the eye of the beholder. Either way, all five Wizards starters scored in double figures, led by a 32-point outburst from rookie Alex Sarr. They shot 42.2% from the 3-point line, making 19 on the night. Poole and George contributed 19 points each.
Denver is headed west on a tough four-game road trip now, starting with a date with the trade-altered Warriors on Monday.
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