Denver Nuggets are looking for a win against the Wizards in DC

The Denver Nuggets stumble to Washington 11-9 and face the Wizards 2-18. While Denver’s record is worrisomely poor, Washington’s is shockingly poor, having endured both a poor roster construction and a series of injuries – including being at the top of the class in this year’s draft definitely has its advantages Advantages. Still, Denver has a habit of getting to the level of its opponents, especially on the road, and needed overtime to beat both the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets on a previous East Coast road trip. The Nuggets have struggled with offensive consistency, backup minutes and attention to detail, but this is a win they need to hold on to if they want to get back on the right track.

The essentials

WHO: Denver Nuggets (11-9) at Washington Wizards (2-18)

When: 5:00 p.m. MST

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington DC

How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not tolerate piracy. Altitude television when available. NBA League Pass for those not participating in the Nuggets market. Altitude 92.5 FM. Explain that you are Jamal Murray’s new shot doctor.

Rivals Blog: Bullets forever

Injury report: Aaron Gordon – probable (right calf strain), Jamal Murray – questionable (right hamstring inflammation), Dario Saric – questionable (left ankle sprain), Vlatko Cancar – out (worst luck ever and also a knee), Daron Holmes II – out (Achilles); Corey Kispert – out (left ankle sprain), Kyshawn George – out (left ankle sprain), Malcolm Brandon – out (left hamstring inflammation), Saddiq Bey – out (ACL surgery), Kyle Kuzma – out (left ankle sprain). left rib), Tristan Vukcevic – out (knee bruise)

The three things

What you should pay attention to: Can Denver start developing good habits?

I’m not saying this is an automatic win, but the Wizards are the worst team in the league and are down a handful of rotation players to boot. This is a game where good habits – coming back correctly in transition, taking care of the ball, rebounding as a team, etc. – can go a long way toward winning. It would be nice not to need a 40/20 triple-double from Nikola Jokic to just get by in this game, and all the mistakes the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to exploit in Denver’s last loss provided a bright spotlight on the areas in which they were able to prevail Improvement.

Here’s what you should remember: This time of year is all about litigation

The Nuggets had the fifth toughest schedule in the NBA and unfortunately they were not prepared for it. Yes, Jamal Murray hasn’t looked good – he often doesn’t look good early in the year. He played 42 minutes in the last game and is now questionable with hamstring inflammation. In order for him to play better, he needs to get healthier, not more broken. If Jokic is an off-roader, then Murray is an always-in-the-shop Ferrari, and they need to treat him as such while they fine-tune performance rather than letting him do donuts in the mud. These are the games Malone needs to remember.

The Nuggets need to take care of the day-to-day process for the results to change. If there was ever a game where you could bring out some of the substitutes stashed in a closet, this would be it. The starters cannot continue to expand these difficult minutes and the defensive rotations have to be right. Malone has a tough job and I know this is more of a road game than a home game, but the Nuggets need to come out of the jump with the right mindset and start picking up wins when the schedule gets easier. They don’t have to be perfect, but trusting each other to right the ship would be a good start.

What to bet on: Nikola Jokic points + rebounds over 43.5 (-110)

The Wizards have exactly no one who can slow Jokic down. He also scored a lot of goals while so many Denver players were in trouble, and the Wizards are not a good rebounding team. Yes, they have Jonas Valanciunas as a replacement for the role of “Eastern European who can get Jokic drunk the night before the game,” but Denver doesn’t let many teams out because they don’t play defense, so even if Jokic does After getting a big lead after three quarters, he may need to come back. Washington has lost every game by double digits since mid-November, but I expect Jokic to have another big game by securing this win.