Even an all-time great Nikola Jokic performance on Saturday couldn’t get the struggling Nuggets into the win column against the NBA’s worst team.
The three-time MVP scored a career-high 56 points, adding 16 rebounds and eight assists in a 122-113 loss to the Wizards (3-18, 15th in Eastern Conference).
Jokic scored nearly half of the team’s points while taking 38 field goal attempts, tied with Hornets guard LaMelo Ball for the most in a game this season. (h/t Stathead)
Second-year bench guard Julian Strawther was second on the Nuggets with 18 points. Excluding Jokic, who shot 22-of-38 from the field, Denver was 24-of-56 on its field goal tries.
The Nuggets missed guard Jamal Murray (hamstring) and forward Aaron Gordon (calf), but Denver’s absences don’t justify spoiling Jokic’s career night against a Wizards team that entered the game with two wins and riding a 16-game losing streak.
Denver’s depth has taken hits the past two offseasons after winning the 2022-23 NBA title.
During the 2023 offseason, it lost role player Bruce Brown, followed by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s and Reggie Jackson’s departures in 2024.
The Nuggets (11-10, ninth in Western Conference) are 4-7 in their last 11 games. They have their worst record through 21 games since 2021-22 when they finished the season 48-34 and lost to the Nuggets in five games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
As troubling as Jokic’s lack of help on the offensive end has been, Denver’s defense is arguably the more significant concern. It entered Saturday ranked 24th in opponents’ points per game (116.8) and has given up at least 120 points in its last five losses.
In the loss to Washington, Wizards guard Jordan Poole scored 39 points on 12-of-26 shooting, including 9-of-20 from deep.
The Nuggets have plenty of problems, but none include Jokic. He’s playing as good as ever. Unfortunately for him, everything around him in Denver has arguably never been worse.
