NBA: Shorthanded Nuggets start road trip against Wizards

The Denver Nuggets began their recently concluded three-game homestand on a high note, with Jamal Murray exploding for 42 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. adding a season-high 30 in a 121-115 win over the Washington Wizards.

However, after a strong 6-1 stretch, the Nuggets dropped their next two games, raising questions for head coach David Adelman ahead of their three-game road trip opener against the Wizards on Thursday.

“When you lose, you always look back and second-guess yourself,” Adelman said after Denver’s 115-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. “Maybe I should have played a ninth person? Does that mean that the other guys have better legs? I have no idea. But maybe. … This is what it is, man. We just have to fight through this.”

Murray scored just two of his 28 points after halftime on Tuesday, and Denver managed only 36 second-half points as a 16-point lead disappeared.

The Nuggets also struggled on the boards for the second straight game. The Charlotte Hornets dominated rebounds 52-29 in a 110-87 win over Denver on Sunday, while the Lakers held a 51-31 edge on the boards.

These numbers are somewhat expected, as Denver has been without three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic (12.2 rebounds per game) and center Jonas Valanciunas (4.7). Jokic has missed 12 games while recovering from a hyperextended left knee with a bone bruise, while Valanciunas has missed 11 games due to a right calf strain.

Adelman admitted Jokic’s recovery has been “kind of up and down,” while Valanciunas appears to be improving.

“I really mean this: Us winning some games has nothing to do with us holding them out,” Adelman said. “This has just been what it is. Their process has been what it is. … Those guys will get taken care of, and they’ll be back. My biggest concern is the guys I’m playing now. And I’m playing Jamal a lot of minutes. I’m playing Tim too many minutes. I played Aaron (Gordon) over what we thought would be our restriction to win a game. That’s the worry.”

In Washington, the Wizards are facing another losing streak. Their skid reached seven games after they fell 110-106 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.

Alex Sarr scored 28 points in that game, marking the 11th time he has reached 20 points this season—one more than his rookie year in 2024-25.

Kyshawn George followed up a 29-point performance against the Nuggets with 18 points against the Clippers.

Wizards rookie Jamir Watkins earned praise from head coach Brian Keefe for his defense against former NBA MVP and 11-time All-Star James Harden.

“This is a first-year player who does some really unique things,” Keefe said of Watkins, who finished with seven rebounds in just 19 minutes. “Fighting over screens, using his physicality, he’s learning all these different things on the fly, and he’s pretty advanced for a guy who’s only played about 25 games with us.”

—Field Level Media/Reuters