DENVER – The Nuggets couldn’t overcome losing their two stars Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić in a disappointing 95-90 loss to the Wizards at Pepsi Center.
“Not having Nikola or Jamal, they’re a big part of what we do to close games,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said after the game.
Paul Millsap would lead the Nuggets with 13 points, 16 rebounds and three assists, while Troy Brown Jr. was the catalyst for Washington as he had 24 points and seven rebounds.
The Nuggets got off to a strong start as they took a 34-23 lead after the first quarter, shooting an impressive 53.6 percent from the field. It looked like the Nuggets would have a straightforward win against a team that is outside of the playoff picture. However, once Jokić came out, the Wizards gained momentum in the second quarter. The visitors went on a 12-2 run in the middle of the second quarter and that was down to the team slowing down Denver from behind the arc. The home team only shot 4-of-17 from downtown after the first half.
In the second half, the Nuggets would see Murray go down with a left ankle sprain in the third quarter. The point guard would not return to the game and Monte Morris would run the point from the remainder of the game.
Similar to the previous encounter between these two teams, Washington continued to take advantage of the Nuggets scoring issues to make it a close game at the Pespi Center. The Nuggets would go up by nine points at the 5:52 mark of the third quarter thanks to a three-pointer by Will Barton, but the team’s overall offensive struggles would come back to haunt them. The Wizards would take their first lead of the game at the end of the third thanks to an 13-1 run to close out the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Nuggets would tie the game at 86-86 thanks to a clutch basket by Paul Millsap. What would happen just two possessions later would ultimately change the entire momentum for the Nuggets. Jokić would tie the game at 88, but wanted free throws as he complained about having contact on the play. The center was subsequently ejected and the home team wasn’t able to rally to take a lead in the fourth quarter.
Jokić had arguably one of his best first quarters of the season as he had 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go with six boards and two dimes. Only a literal blow to the face could stop the Serbian center in the opening 12 minutes as an elbow to his nose took him out of the game until the 6:45 mark in the second quarter. When he returned, Jokić continued to be the difference for Denver on both sides of the floor. He would finish the game with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Nuggets inability to hit shots, especially from long range, was the deciding factor of the game. Denver would finish the game shooting 37.6 percent from the floor, including a poor 19.4 percent from downtown.
“We struggled to make shots the entire night,” said Malone.
Denver now heads to Oakland to take on the Warriors on a nationally-televised game on Tuesday at 8:30 MT. (WATCH: TNT, RADIO: KKSE 950AM)