The Washington Wizards recorded a stunning 126-123 win over the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on Saturday, thanks to a sensational Jordan Poole game-winner.
Poole drilled a 3-pointer from way downtown to give the Wizards the lead with seconds left, and the win was sealed when Nikola Jokic’s heave on the final play was off the mark.
Jokic cut a frustrated figure after the loss, which is the Nuggets’ third in the last five games. They are sputtering at the moment and have dropped to 43-25 this 2024-25 season.
After the game, Jokic was asked if he feels the team will take things up a notch come playoffs, and he sent out a stern warning to his teammates.
“I think who you are in the regular season, that’s who you are in the playoffs,” Jokic said, via DNVR Nuggets. “I think you cannot flip a switch. I think that doesn’t really exist. That kind of thing that you can just flip a switch.”
Nikola Jokic: “I think who you are in the regular season, that’s who you are in the playoffs.”
“I think you cannot flip a switch.” pic.twitter.com/jNwKgWUNhq
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) March 16, 2025
Jokic, who had 40 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists, one steal and two blocks against the Wizards, also admitted he doesn’t have much confidence in the Nuggets’ defense. They allowed the lowly Wizards to score 126 points in this clash, a day after the severely undermanned Los Angeles Lakers outfit also got to that number as well.
Defense wins championships, and the Nuggets certainly aren’t excelling on that end of the floor at the moment. Jokic still believes the team can win in the playoffs, but he’s not pleased with how they’ve been winning games lately.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
All is certainly not well in Denver at the moment. Jokic wants his teammates to step up and start playing better, and it will be interesting to see how they respond when the Nuggets take on the red-hot Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Monday.