Nikola Jokic has 42 points and 12 rebounds, Nuggets beat Wizards 113-104
WASHINGTON (AP) Nikola Jokic had 42 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists and the defending champion Denver Nuggets beat the Washington Wizards 113-104 on Sunday night.
Jokic was 15 of 20 from the field and made 12 of 14 free throws. He also blocked three shots.
“Nikola was phenomenal tonight from beginning to end,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said. "He continues to illustrate why he’s the player that he is.”
Jamal Murray added 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds, and Michael Porter Jr. had 19 points and six rebounds. Aaron Gordon had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
”It’s tough. They do a great job playing off of him. They’ve got shooting, they’ve got great athletes,” Wizards guard Tyus Jones said about Jokic. “Him and Jamal are a great one-two tandem, so it provides a great challenge. It’s super unique and he’s just extremely unselfish and I think that that’s what really makes it so hard to stop.”
Daniel Gafford returned to Washington’s starting lineup after sitting out the last two games because of a concussion. He scored 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with seven rebounds.
“It was good having Gaff back,” Jones said. “Obviously, his presence in the paint is huge for us. Just his fight, his grit, is big for us.”
Marvin Bagley III had 14 points and seven rebounds and Landry Shamet also had 14 points.
Washington has lost four in a row. But the seven-win Wizards proved to be a pesky opponent all night.
“That’s what happens when you’re the reigning world champs,” Malone said. “You have to be up for those games because you know you’re going to be getting everybody’s best.”
While Washington was able to make it a one-point game on a couple of occasions, Denver led by 13 before taking a 62-52 lead into the break. Denver stretched the lead early in the third quarter and took an 89-78 advantage into the fourth.
When Jokic was at the line to hit his final free throws to close out the game, the fans left in the road arena began to chant “M-V-P! M-V-P!”
“That’s unique,” Malone said. “It doesn’t happen very often, so I think it’s just recognizing greatness. Here’s a guy who was a two-time MVP as a second round draft pick that brought a franchise its first world championship in history, and he’s a Finals MVP as well.”
UP NEXT
Nuggets: At Indiana on Tuesday night.
Wizards: Host Minnesota on Wednesday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Nikola Jokic vs. Daniel Gafford (Jamal Murray gains possession) | ||
| 11:43 |  | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point turnaround hook shot | 2-0 |
| 11:22 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point driving layup (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 2-2 |
| 11:22 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 11:22 | | Jamal Murray shooting foul (Deni Avdija draws the foul) | ||
| 11:22 | | Deni Avdija misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 11:18 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 11:00 | | Jamal Murray misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 10:55 | | Daniel Gafford defensive rebound | ||
| 10:43 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point pullup jump shot | 2-4 |
| 10:29 | | +2 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes two point stepback jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 4-4 |
| 10:18 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point cutting layup (Tyus Jones assists) | 4-6 |
| 10:03 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point driving layup | ||
| 10:01 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 9:57 | | +3 | Tyus Jones makes three point jump shot (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 4-9 |
| 9:50 | | Michael Malone technical foul | ||
| 9:50 | | +1 | Jordan Poole makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 4-10 |
| 9:43 | | Michael Porter Jr. offensive foul (Jordan Poole draws the foul) | ||
| 9:43 | | Michael Porter Jr. turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 9:28 | | Tyus Jones misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:25 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 9:14 | | +3 | Michael Porter Jr. makes three point jump shot (Jamal Murray assists) | 7-10 |
| 9:02 | | Kyle Kuzma misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:57 | | Jamal Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 8:49 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:47 | | Wizards defensive rebound | ||
| 8:28 | | Jordan Poole turnover (bad pass) (Michael Porter Jr. steals) | ||
| 8:27 | | Aaron Gordon misses two point running alley-oop dunk | ||
| 8:25 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 8:22 | | Deni Avdija turnover (bad pass) (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope steals) | ||
| 8:19 | | Deni Avdija blocks Aaron Gordon's two point dunk | ||
| 8:15 | | Wizards defensive rebound | ||
| 8:01 | | Deni Avdija misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:01 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:49 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point layup (Jamal Murray assists) | 9-10 |
| 7:36 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point cutting layup (Tyus Jones assists) | 9-12 |
| 7:13 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:10 | | Daniel Gafford defensive rebound | ||
| 7:06 | | Kyle Kuzma turnover (bad pass) (Nikola Jokic steals) | ||
| 7:03 | | Kyle Kuzma shooting foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 7:03 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 10-12 |
| 7:03 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 11-12 |
| 6:44 | | Aaron Gordon blocks Kyle Kuzma's two point driving layup | ||
| 6:44 | | Nuggets defensive rebound | ||
| 6:44 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:24 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point hook shot | 13-12 |
| 6:15 | | Daniel Gafford offensive foul (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope draws the foul) | ||
| 6:15 | | Daniel Gafford turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 5:59 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point cutting layup (Jamal Murray assists) | 15-12 |
| 5:37 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point turnaround hook shot (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 15-14 |
| 5:20 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point driving layup | ||
| 5:19 | | Nikola Jokic offensive rebound | ||
| 5:18 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point tip layup | 17-14 |
| 5:01 | | Bilal Coulibaly misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:59 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 4:53 | | Aaron Gordon misses two point alley-oop dunk | ||
| 4:51 | | Aaron Gordon offensive rebound | ||
| 4:47 | | Jordan Poole personal foul (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope draws the foul) | ||
| 4:43 | | +2 | Michael Porter Jr. makes two point jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 19-14 |
| 4:25 | | +2 | Marvin Bagley III makes two point driving layup (Tyus Jones assists) | 19-16 |
| 4:14 | | +2 | Michael Porter Jr. makes two point reverse layup | 21-16 |
| 4:00 | | Michael Porter Jr. blocks Bilal Coulibaly's two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:59 | | Peyton Watson defensive rebound | ||
| 3:53 | | +2 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes two point running layup (Peyton Watson assists) | 23-16 |
| 3:40 | | +2 | Bilal Coulibaly makes two point cutting dunk (Marvin Bagley III assists) | 23-18 |
| 3:21 | | Marvin Bagley III shooting foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 3:21 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 24-18 |
| 3:21 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 25-18 |
| 3:00 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:57 | | Marvin Bagley III offensive rebound | ||
| 2:57 | | Nikola Jokic shooting foul (Marvin Bagley III draws the foul) | ||
| 2:57 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:57 | | +1 | Marvin Bagley III makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-19 |
| 2:57 | | +1 | Marvin Bagley III makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 25-20 |
| 2:34 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 2:32 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 2:23 | | Jordan Poole misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 2:21 | | Peyton Watson defensive rebound | ||
| 2:20 | | Jordan Poole personal foul (Peyton Watson draws the foul) | ||
| 2:20 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 26-20 |
| 2:03 | | Jamal Murray misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:01 | | Delon Wright defensive rebound | ||
| 1:51 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:48 | | Marvin Bagley III offensive rebound | ||
| 1:40 | | Christian Braun shooting foul (Corey Kispert draws the foul) | ||
| 1:40 | | +1 | Corey Kispert makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-21 |
| 1:40 | | +1 | Corey Kispert makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-22 |
| 1:26 | | +2 | Jamal Murray makes two point pullup jump shot (Peyton Watson assists) | 28-22 |
| 1:10 | | Corey Kispert turnover (lost ball) (Zeke Nnaji steals) | ||
| 1:04 | | +2 | Christian Braun makes two point running layup (Zeke Nnaji assists) | 30-22 |
| 0:55 | | +2 | Bilal Coulibaly makes two point alley-oop dunk (Deni Avdija assists) | 30-24 |
| 0:34 | | Bilal Coulibaly blocks Reggie Jackson's two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 0:32 | | Marvin Bagley III defensive rebound | ||
| 0:13 | | Peyton Watson blocks Corey Kispert's two point reverse layup | ||
| 0:13 | | Wizards offensive rebound | ||
| 0:11 | | Corey Kispert misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 0:08 | | Jamal Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | +3 | Jamal Murray makes three point pullup jump shot | 33-24 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:47 | | +2 | Marvin Bagley III makes two point alley-oop dunk (Deni Avdija assists) | 33-26 |
| 11:23 | | Jamal Murray misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 11:22 | | Zeke Nnaji offensive rebound | ||
| 11:21 | | Zeke Nnaji misses two point tip layup | ||
| 11:20 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 11:13 | | +3 | Landry Shamet makes three point running jump shot (Deni Avdija assists) | 33-29 |
| 11:03 | | Zeke Nnaji offensive foul (Landry Shamet draws the foul) | ||
| 11:03 | | Zeke Nnaji turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:40 | | Michael Porter Jr. shooting foul (Deni Avdija draws the foul) | ||
| 10:40 | | +1 | Deni Avdija makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 33-30 |
| 10:40 | | +1 | Deni Avdija makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 33-31 |
| 10:40 | | Deni Avdija misses regular free throw 3 of 3 | ||
| 10:38 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 10:28 | | +2 | Zeke Nnaji makes two point cutting dunk (Reggie Jackson assists) | 35-31 |
| 10:17 | | Marvin Bagley III misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 10:17 | | Wizards offensive rebound | ||
| 10:17 | | Deni Avdija turnover (offensive goaltending) | ||
| 10:04 | | +2 | Michael Porter Jr. makes two point pullup jump shot (Zeke Nnaji assists) | 37-31 |
| 9:49 | | Landry Shamet misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:49 | | Christian Braun defensive rebound | ||
| 9:44 | | Christian Braun turnover (bad pass) (Delon Wright steals) | ||
| 9:40 | | +2 | Delon Wright makes two point driving reverse layup | 37-33 |
| 9:32 | | Zeke Nnaji offensive foul (Landry Shamet draws the foul) | ||
| 9:32 | | Zeke Nnaji turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 9:15 | | Zeke Nnaji shooting foul (Marvin Bagley III draws the foul) | ||
| 9:15 | | +1 | Marvin Bagley III makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 37-34 |
| 9:15 | | +1 | Marvin Bagley III makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 37-35 |
| 8:51 | | Jamal Murray misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:48 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 8:37 | | +2 | Delon Wright makes two point driving layup | 37-37 |
| 8:18 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:16 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 8:15 | | Christian Braun blocks Corey Kispert's two point running reverse layup | ||
| 8:14 | | Christian Braun defensive rebound | ||
| 8:06 | | +3 | Jamal Murray makes three point stepback jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 40-37 |
| 7:45 | | Deni Avdija misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 7:43 | | Christian Braun defensive rebound | ||
| 7:35 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point layup (Jamal Murray assists) | 42-37 |
| 7:33 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:17 | | Kyle Kuzma misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:15 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 7:08 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point driving dunk (Christian Braun assists) | 44-37 |
| 6:48 | | +3 | Tyus Jones makes three point jump shot (Landry Shamet assists) | 44-40 |
| 6:32 | | Jamal Murray misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 6:30 | | Bilal Coulibaly defensive rebound | ||
| 6:25 | | +3 | Tyus Jones makes three point jump shot (Landry Shamet assists) | 44-43 |
| 6:07 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point layup (Jamal Murray assists) | 46-43 |
| 5:56 | | Bilal Coulibaly misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:54 | | Wizards offensive rebound | ||
| 5:46 | | +2 | Landry Shamet makes two point reverse layup (Tyus Jones assists) | 46-45 |
| 5:30 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point layup (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope assists) | 48-45 |
| 5:30 | | Daniel Gafford shooting foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 5:30 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 49-45 |
| 5:10 | | Nikola Jokic blocks Daniel Gafford's two point layup | ||
| 5:07 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 4:59 | | Daniel Gafford blocks Christian Braun's two point layup | ||
| 4:59 | | Wizards defensive rebound | ||
| 4:59 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 4:48 |