Nuggets’ Downward Spiral Wastes Nikola Jokic’s 56-Point Night: ‘We’ve Lost Our Swag’

December 8, 2024

Nikola Jokic’s historic 56-point explosion on Saturday night wasn’t enough to save the Denver Nuggets from a stunning 122-113 loss to the tanking Washington Wizards.

Yes, those Wizards — the team that entered the night 2-18, riding a franchise-record 16-game losing streak, and missing half their roster.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn’t sugarcoat the defeat. Instead, he pointed the finger at himself.

“One thing about the NBA is, no one feels sorry for you,” Malone told reporters after the game. “We’ve got to participate in our own recovery. And clearly, I haven’t done a good enough job preparing this team. That’s on me.”

Denver’s defense — or lack thereof — was the story yet again. Jordan Poole torched the Nuggets for 39 points on a career-high nine threes, while Justin Champagnie added 23 points by slicing through Denver’s porous rotations.

The Wizards, missing Kyle Kuzma, Malcolm Brogdon, and rookie Alex Sarr, still shot over 50% for most of the night. Meanwhile, Denver’s non-Jokic minutes were once again a disaster, as Washington outscored the Nuggets 9-2 to start the fourth quarter.

Jokic, who also grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out eight assists, was visibly frustrated.

“We’re really going in the wrong direction,” he said. “It’s not just Coach’s fault. It’s all of us — me, the team. We’re not communicating, not executing, and we’ve got to fix it.”

Forward Michael Porter Jr. echoed that sentiment, adding, “We’ve lost our swag, our belief that we should beat teams like this. And honestly, I didn’t play well tonight, either. We all need to be better.”

With Jamal Murray (hamstring) and Aaron Gordon (calf) sidelined, Denver’s young players — Peyton Watson, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther — were thrust into major roles. But their inexperience showed, and Malone knows it’s a problem.

“Right now, teams are scoring 125 points a night on us,” Jokic said bluntly. “We might be the worst defensive team in the league.”

Denver is now 11-10, a far cry from the dominance that delivered a championship just a little more than a year ago. With 61 games left, the Nuggets have time to right the ship, but it’s clear they need more than just health to reclaim their identity.