Nikola Jokic tormented the Washington Wizards three months ago and his impressive effort didn’t even result in a victory.
Because his career-high 56 points ended in defeat, Jokic figures to pack plenty of motivation when the Denver Nuggets host the Wizards on Saturday night.
Jokic made 22 of 39 field-goal attempts and collected 16 rebounds and eight assists but his one-man domination ended with a 122-113 setback on Dec. 7.
Jokic’s scoring effort was the second best in Nuggets history behind David Thompson’s memorable 73-point outing on the final day of the 1977-78 season. Thompson was bidding for the scoring title but finished second because George Gervin scored 63 for the San Antonio Spurs later that day.
Nothing major like that was at stake but lowly Washington was thrilled with the outcome.
Jordan Poole made a career-best nine 3-pointers and scored 39 points in the contest as the Wizards snapped a six-game skid in the series.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone hasn’t forgotten what happened in D.C.
“They already beat us,” Malone said after Friday’s victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. “Even if we won by 40 or lost by 40, Washington already beat us. If there’s any, ‘Oh, we got these guys,’ – that’s what we thought last time and they beat us.
“When you’re playing against a team that has already beaten you, that should be all the attention you need going into the game, in my opinion.”
Washington rested Friday night in Denver while the Nuggets (43-24) were fighting off the Lakers for a 131-126 home victory.
The score was tied at 126 when Jamal Murray buried a 3-pointer with 5.6 seconds left. Murray had 26 points.
Jokic scored 28 points and Christian Braun added 22.
Malone was displeased with the contest against a shorthanded Los Angeles team missing LeBron James and Luka Doncic, among others.
“This isn’t a beauty pageant,” Malone said. “We don’t get rated on our wins. It’s a win.”
One thing that bothered Malone was that Jokic and Murray only took 16 shots apiece.
“I got to get those two guys 20 to 25 shots per game, easy,” Malone said. “That’s no disrespect to anybody else. We need those guys to carry the offensive load.”
Saturday’s contest will be Denver’s fifth in seven nights.
League-worst Washington (14-51) has played well lately by going 5-4 over its last nine games.
The Wizards split a two-game series in Detroit, taking the latter one 129-125 on Thursday. Washington outscored the Pistons 33-24 in the final quarter.
“Guys just stepped up,” Washington coach Brian Keefe said. “Everybody was supporting each other. Whoever is out there, got it done. … Guys stepped up when their opportunity was there. It’s great.”
Seven Wizards scored between 14 and 19 points in a truly balanced effort.
Alex Sarr had team highs of 19 points and four blocked shots and he also scored the go-ahead dunk with 53.6 seconds to play.
Poole and Justin Champagnie scored 17 points apiece and Khris Middleton and Bub Carrington each added 16. Marcus Smart had 15 points and Corey Kispert added 14.
Carrington said Tuesday’s 123-103 loss to the Pistons was a motivating factor.
“It’s a mix of discipline and individual pride,” Carrington said. “We knew we had to keep our intensity.”
