Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) is congratulated by guard Jordan Poole (13) after dunking in the final seconds of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
WASHINGTON — Jordan Poole scored 39 points, and the Washington Wizards overcame a career-high 56 by Nikola Jokic to beat the Denver Nuggets 122-113 on Saturday night and snap their 16-game losing streak.
Jamal Murray (hamstring), Aaron Gordon (calf) and Dario Saric (ankle) were all out for Denver, which left Jokic as something of a one-man show for the Nuggets. He took 38 shots from the field — also a career-high — and had 16 rebounds and eight assists.
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But Washington always had an answer.
READ: NBA: Luka Doncic, Mavericks hand Wizards 16th straight loss
The Wizards (3-18) won for the first time since Oct. 30. Their 16-game skid tied a franchise record.
Poole made a career-high nine 3-pointers, and Washington as a team made 16. Denver went 5 of 24, which is why the Nuggets couldn’t fully take advantage of Jokic’s dominance.
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The Wizards were up 69-57 at halftime, and although Jokic scored 23 points in the third quarter, Washington was still up by six when he went to the bench at the start of the fourth. Denver was down 108-95 when he returned with 7:35 remaining.
Takeaways
Nuggets: It was a huge game for Jokic, but the fact that it wasn’t a triple-double — he didn’t quite have enough assists — was a sign that Denver didn’t have enough balance. Julian Strawther did have a decent night off the bench with 18 points.
Wizards: Although Denver wasn’t close to full strength, the Wizards won despite injuries of their own. Kyle Kuzma (rib) and rookie Alex Sarr (back) did not play.
READ: NBA Cup: League-best Cavaliers deal Wizards 15th consecutive loss
Key moment
Justin Champagnie made a driving bank shot with 1:12 left to put the Wizards up 118-111. Champagnie had a more modest career high of his own, scoring 23 points.
Key stat
Jokic’s previous career high was 50 points, at Sacramento on Feb. 6, 2021.
Up next
Both teams play Sunday. Denver is at Atlanta, and Washington hosts Memphis.
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