Almost a year later, the Nuggets’ gruesome home loss to the Wizards last season sticks with you. In a way, it feels like the defining moment for Michael Malone and Calvin Booth’s eventual exits from Denver. And for much of the night on Saturday, it felt like we were headed for a repeat performance before the Nuggets hit some clutch shots and pulled away to beat the Wizards, 121-115, in Ball Arena on Saturday night.
Jamal Murray started the day on the injury report once again, but he was ruled available to play, and boy did he ever. Jamal went off for 42 points on 15-24 shooting, including 5-8 from three-point land. He scored 16 points in the final frame and hit several clutch jumpers that put his team over the hump down the stretch.
He continues to prove that he’s not just worthy of an All-Star appearance for the first time, but he’s playing like one of the best players in the entire league. He’s been doing it all season, and since Nikola Jokic’s injury, he has taken his game to another level, giving the Nuggets superstar production and efficiency on a nightly basis.
Nuggets’ role players keep stepping up
In a game that ended up closer than expected, the Nuggets’ key role players showed up when they were needed. It’s hard to understate how important and reliable Tim Hardaway Jr. has been this season, and that was the case again on Saturday as he dropped 30 points off the bench on 10-18 shooting.
Peyton Watson has been the other star during Joker’s absence, and even in a bit of an “off night” by his recent standards, P-Wat delivered 21 points and 5 rebounds along with his usual strong defense.
And another story that’s worth mentioning is that Aaron Gordon looks better and better with every passing game and has shown no ill effects of his hamstring injury that sidelined him for over a month. AG was a two-way menace on Saturday night, nearly recording a triple-double as he finished with 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists while the Nuggets were +14 in his minutes, which was a team-high.
So, while this game certainly wasn’t the prettiest performance, a win is a win, and these are the kinds of wins that were slipping away last season. There were a lot of silver linings here, and many positives to point to as the Nuggets ultimately did enough and survived against a scrappy, young Wizards team.
That’s the fourth straight win for Denver and their sixth win in their last seven as they now improve to 7-3 with Jokic out of the lineup, and 29-13 overall. They’ll be right back in action on Sunday as they host the 15-27 Charlotte Hornets.