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Either the Nuggets really benefitted from the All-Star break, or they really benefitted from playing the Washington Wizards in their first game after the All-Star break.
In a perfect remedy for a three-game losing streak before the week off, the Nuggets returned with a resounding 130-110 win over the floundering Wizards on Thursday night at Ball Arena.
With 21 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists that included some of his best dimes of the season, Nikola Jokic has now registered a triple-double against every NBA team excluding his own. Washington (9-46) was the final box to check. He has multiple in his career against every team except the Knicks, Pacers and Wizards. Only LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have triple-doubles against all 30 teams.
“I hope (Jokic) never gets that,” coach Michael Malone said.
Jokic almost put a bow on this triple-double by halftime, but Aaron Gordon passed out from under the basket instead of attempting a layup that would have been a Jokic assist late in the second quarter. Jokic went to the locker room with 10 points, 14 boards and nine assists.
This was the third game of Jokic’s career, and the second this season, in which he shot 100% from the field on at least 10 attempts. It was also his fourth career “perfect triple-double” on 100% shooting.
“Like any great passer, his head is always up,” Malone said. “He’s surveying the floor. He’s seeing who is open, where the defense is, and he just has a tremendous IQ. He sees a lot of things before they happen.”
The only bad news of the night for the two-time MVP: He had to play a handful of minutes in the fourth quarter with a back-to-back awaiting the Nuggets on Friday in Portland. Malone felt the game was still in reach after a Wizards run.
Jokic seemed to be having as much fun experimenting with circus tricks as he did in the uncompetitive All-Star Game on Sunday. In the first quarter, he tapped a rebound from his left hand to his right, then used the right to flick the ball 70-ish feet to Gordon for a dunk. From the rebound to the heave, he never lowered his arm. Three minutes later, he assisted another Gordon slam with a behind-the-back pass from the left wing.
Washington’s malaise certainly helped. The Nuggets scored five layups and three dunks in the first nine minutes, untroubled by defenders in the lane. And the missed shots at the other end made rebounding easy for Jokic.
In one second-quarter sequence, interim coach Brian Keefe called a timeout with 6:51 left after an easy Michael Porter Jr. put-back layup. Seven seconds into the Wizards’ ensuing possession, Corey Kispert turned it over. Jokic snatched the ball from an official and chucked the inbound pass the length of the court to Gordon again. Not a single Washington player was back. Another easy dunk. Another Keefe timeout — with 6:42 remaining in the half.
Porter also had a triumphant return from the break, with 22 points (including 18 in the first half) and 11 rebounds (including five offensive). Every starter amassed 16 or more points except for the scoreless Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was removed at the start of the second half with a right finger sprain. He jammed a finger while earning a steal early in the first quarter.
And on a night when the Wizards brought Jordan Poole off the bench for the first time all season, Denver’s second unit was the better one. Christian Braun played with a hop in his step, attacking the rim through contact and earning his first career double-double (12 points, 10 boards). Peyton Watson and Zeke Nnaji both blocked four shots, with Watson’s including a pair of awe-inspiring chase-down swats on Washington’s fast breaks.
“We blocked shots, and we ran off of that,” Malone said. “So yes, everybody else somebody blocking a shot into the third row and hitting the popcorn lady in the (butt), but I would rather keep it inbounds and get out and run. And we had really good examples of that tonight.”
Malone lamented pregame that it was unfair to Nnaji to go into the long break after a solid performance in Denver’s last game against Sacramento, rendering it impossible for the backup big to build on it. On that merit, Nnaji played Thursday instead of DeAndre Jordan and took advantage of the opportunity with hustle plays.
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