Washington (AP) After scoring a career-high 56 points, Nikola Jokic didn’t have much to celebrate.
It took place during a defeat against a squad that hadn’t triumphed since October.
Jokic stated, “I believe that today and the previous two games were really bad for us.” We are truly headed in the wrong way. I believe that everyone is to blame.
Jokic didn’t display any excitement despite an incredible stat line that also featured eight assists and 16 rebounds. Saturday night’s 122-113 loss to a Washington squad that had dropped 16 straight games was a waste of his efforts.
The Nuggets have now dropped two straight games, and Denver (11-10) hasn’t won consecutive games in almost a month. They would be a play-in team if the season stopped right now.
It makes sense that Jokic later provided an especially harsh answer.
The Serbian celebrity remarked, “After this kind of stretch, you’re going to get a paycheck that is a little bit less than you had hoped,” to laughter in her own country. Perhaps that is what we must do. A little inspiration, perhaps.
Due to injuries to Dario Saric (ankle), Aaron Gordon (calf), and Jamal Murray (hamstring), the Nuggets were not playing at their best on Saturday. In a bid to lead Denver to victory, Jokic ultimately made 38 field goals, which is a career best.
At the end, he said, I was forcing.
On February 6, 2021, he scored 50 points, which was also a loss, to set a previous career high. Denver reduced a 12-point deficit at halftime to six points thanks to Jokic’s 23 points on 20 shots in the third quarter against the Wizards.
Washington then stretched the lead back into double figures while he rested. Denver was outscored by the Wizards by one when Jokic was playing and by eight when he wasn’t.
Coach Mike Malone stated, “We have a lot of problems, mostly on the defensive end of the floor.”
With 39 points, including nine 3-pointers, Jordan Poole led Washington, but the Wizards also had balance, something Denver lacked. Jonas Valanciunas finished with 20 points after hammering Jokic inside, while Justin Champagnie scored a career-high 23.
Malone blamed himself for it.
He claimed, “I’m doing a really bad job with this team.” I’m embarrassed that we are currently 11-10 and losing to a team that has averaged 100 points per game for the past five games, and they scored 122 points against us.
___
https://apnews.com/hub/nba is the AP NBA.
The Associated Press, 2024. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. It is prohibited to publish, broadcast, rewrite, or redistribute this content without authorization.