On Sunday night, the defending champion Denver Nuggets defeated the Washington Wizards 113-104 behind 42 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists from Nikola Jokic.
Jokic made 12 of 14 free throws and was 15 of 20 from the field. In addition, he stopped three shots.
“From start to finish, Nikola was outstanding tonight,” stated Mike Malone, the coach of the Nuggets. “He keeps demonstrating why he is the player that he is.”
Michael Porter Jr. scored 19 points and pulled down six boards, while Jamal Murray contributed 19 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Aaron Gordon finished with 10 rebounds and 11 points.
It’s difficult. They are quite good at playing off of him. Jokic’s teammates, led by guard Tyus Jones of the Washington Wizards, “have great athletes and shooting.” It’s a terrific challenge since he and Jamal make a great one-two tandem. It’s incredibly special, and he’s just so selfless, and I think that’s what makes it so difficult to stop.
After missing the previous two games due to a concussion, Daniel Gafford is back in the starting lineup for Washington. He pulled down seven rebounds and scored 15 points on 7 of 10 shots.
Jones remarked, “Having Gaff back was good.” He is very important to us in the paint. For us, his courage and struggle alone are important.
In addition to Landry Shamet’s 14 points, Marvin Bagley III contributed seven rebounds and 14 points.
Four straight losses for Washington. However, the seven-win Wizards proved to be a formidable foe the entire evening.
“That’s the reality of being the current world champions,” Malone remarked. “You know you’re going to be getting everyone’s best, so you better be ready for those games.”
Although Washington managed to tie the score once or twice, Denver had a 13-point lead and led 62–52 at the half. Denver jumped out to an early lead in the third quarter and maintained that lead into the fourth quarter, leading 89-78.
As Jokic prepared to make his final free throws to end the game, the remaining spectators in the away arena started yelling, “M-V-P! M-V-P
That’s distinctive, Malone remarked. Since it’s rare, I believe it’s simply a recognition of greatness. This is a player who won two MVP awards as a second-round draft selection, helped a team win its first-ever world championship, and was also named the MVP of the Finals.
