Denver Nuggets

Takeaways: Denver Nuggets Suffer Second Straight Loss to Wizards

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:31 p.m. ET

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Dec 8, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic (15) looks to pass as Washington Wizards forward Jason Smith (14) defends during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Denver Nuggets were heart-broken in a 92-85 loss to the Washington Wizards in the nations’ capital.

After a tough loss in Brooklyn the previous night, the Nuggets fell short late in the game again on Thursday. Although they got off to an early lead, John Wall and Bradley Beal were just too much to handle.

This game was even closer than the score shows, and the Nuggets actually led for a majority of it. The problem was, Denver looked a little sluggish after putting so much energy into last night’s unsuccessful comeback run against the Brooklyn Nets. Tonight, Nuggets players seemed okay energy-wise at first, but were running on fumes to finish this game.

This one was tough to swallow, but let’s break down this game further to see how the Nuggets played against the Wizards tonight:

Dec 8, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) drives as Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) defends during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Takeaways

Although it was a little sloppy, Denver got off to a nice lead over Washington early in this game. The Nuggets weren’t great offensively, but enough to get the job done when paired with a solid defensive effort. It was more of a team early on, with almost every player touching the ball on multiple possessions.

Denver was moving the ball with eases, leading to 17 assists in the first half alone. The lead even got up to 14 points in the 1st quarter. Then the defense faded a little, and after a little bit of a run lead by Washington’s Bradley Beal, the Nuggets ended the half only up 52-47 on the Wizards.

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The 3rd quarter started with a lot of sloppy play. Danilo Gallinari and Jusuf Nurkic got into early foul trouble, each earning their 4th, and the offense seemed to stall from there. The Nuggets were outscored by the Wizards for the second quarter in a row, and lost their lead. They trailed the Wizards 7-73 after 3 quarters. The fourth quarter was more of the same. No ball movement for the Nuggets, and a lot of 1-on-1 situations.

Jameer Nelson got the start at PG with Emmanuel Mudiay injured (sprained right ankle). Nelson played like a crafty veteran and took great care of the ball. He’s a necessary member on the young squad and more importantly, he plays the right way. A lot of the ball movement leading to the team’s 24 assists was started by Jameer. He is a great role model to the younger guards. Jameer finished shooting 5/10 from the field for 10 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Nurkic was great down low tonight at the C position. Marcin Gortat is an agile defender for Washington, but couldn’t quite keep up with Nurkic’s size. You could see the frustration on Gortat’s face, and Nurkic tried to use that to his advantage. Nurk did get in foul trouble, but still was effective late in the game. He finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist.

Nikola Jokic came off the bench, and was a huge spark for the Nuggets. His 15-ft jumper was on fire, and he was the only Nuggets scorer in double digits by halftime. He did slow down a little in the second half, but did provide great energy on the offensive boards. A good portion of his total points came on second-chance buckets. He finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds (7 offensive), 1 assist, and 1 block.

Gallinari led the Nuggets early, scoring 8 points in the 1st quarter, but proceeded to put up a goose egg in the 2nd quarter. Denver needs Gallo to be a little more consistent offensively. After getting in foul trouble, he didn’t really make anything happen offensively. He did get to the free throw line 9 times. He finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.

Will Barton got off to a hot start, hitting 4/7 shots in the first half. That hot start turned to a cold rest of the game, as he finished 5/13 from the field. He ended with 11 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 3 steals. The Nuggets really need players like Will Barton to step up while Gary Harris is gone, and the Nuggets have to hope that happens going forward..

Wilson Chandler came off the bench to provide his usual spark, but just couldn’t get going tonight. He shot a terrible 2/16 from the field for only 5 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.

Darrell Arthur got the start tonight at the PF position, but didn’t play many minutes. He did hit 2 3-pointers and had a fairly solid offensive night when in the game. He also brought a great defensive energy to the game. He finished with 6 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 block.

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Jamaal Murray wasn’t very effective early, and really showed his youth. He probably had the most energy of any player on the team, but didn’t take great care of the ball with 5 turnovers. This kept him out of the game, playing on 17 minutes. He finished with only 6 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal.

Dec 8, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) dribbles as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) defends during the second half at Verizon Center. The Washington Wizards won 92-85. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Takeaways

In the early game, the Nuggets looked solid on Defense. They held Washington to only 18 points in the first quarter, with John Wall and Bradley Beal both scoring under 6 points. This kind of start is what the Nuggets have been trying to achieve. Getting in a hole early has been killing the Nuggets, so having an early lead (based on solid defense) allowed them to work through their offensive struggles.

The second half was a different story. In the 3rd quarter, the Nuggets lost their early game energy, allowing the Wizards to regain the lead. It was probably just the back-to-back game, but at times the Nuggets did look a little slow-moving on Defense.

Overall, the Nuggets showed solid defense when they tried, but that changed in the second half and affected the outcome of the game.

Dec 8, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) attempts a shot against the Denver Nuggets during the second half at Verizon Center. The Washington Wizards won 92-85. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Wizards Team Grade: B+

The 7-13 Wizards came into this game allowing 107.1 PPG to opposing teams, 22nd in NBA. This should have been a game for the Nuggets to dominate, but unfortunately they couldn’t keep their lead.

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Early on, the Wizards showed off this poor defense. This paired with a couple missed shots got the Nuggets out to an early lead. The Wizards just couldn’t put the ball in the bucket.

Then, John Wall and Bradley Beal. Enough said. One of the top backcourts in the East was on full display to get their team back in the game tonight. John Wall had an okay game for his standards, finishing with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steads, and a block. He was missing a good amount of longer shots, but better near the hoop. Still, he only shot 5/14 tonight

Bradley Beal really started to get it going in the second quarter. He is an elite shot creator, and seemed to make something happen whenever the Wizards offense stalled. He finished as the game’s’ leading scorer 26 points on 8/16 shooting, to go along with 5 assists and 3 rebounds. He definitely looked like the best player on the floor tonight.

Other than Beal’s good game, this was a pretty unexceptional game for the Wizards. Unfortunately, they pulled out the late win over the Nuggets.

Dec 8, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton (5) advances the ball against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Denver Nuggets Team Grade: B-

The Nuggets showed great ball movement tonight, but were visibly tired. Their defense was solid in the beginning of the game, but seemed to decline as it went on. With the great early defense, the offensive struggles were covered and the Nuggets got out to a nice lead. And without that great defense, the tide of the game turned.

A couple causes for concern. Wilson, Jamal, and Gallo could not get their shots going. They finished for a combined 7/32 from the field (4/20 from 3 point range). This was probably just due to the back-to-back. Wilson basically put the team on his back on Wednesday against Brooklyn, so he was a little rusty tonight. The team as a whole shot a terrible 21.9% (7/32) from the 3 point line.

The 17 assists in the 1st half were great, but they only finished the game with 24 total. Their ball movement was halted in the second, and also they just weren’t hitting shots.

The 27 team turnovers were also a little concerning. That has to change to become a competitive team in this league.

But on a good note, Jokic is looking like he is coming more and more into form. He showed strength and a solid basketball IQ, and hopefully there is more of that to come.

Overall, this was a disappointing (winnable) game for the Nuggets. All we can do is take the good with the bad, and move on to the next one. GO Nuggets!

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