Murray Erupts for 42 as Nuggets Survive Wizards Scare Without Jokic
There’s a specific kind of anxiety that ripples through Ball Arena when Nikola Jokic is in street clothes. It’s not just about missing a three-time MVP; it’s about missing the sun around which the entire Denver orbit revolves. But on Saturday night, Jamal Murray didn’t just fill the void—he owned it.
In a game that felt far more perilous than the standings would suggest, Murray poured in 42 points, putting the Nuggets on his back in the closing minutes to secure a gritty 121-115 victory over the Washington Wizards.
For a Denver squad looking to prove they can win without their Serbian superstar, it was exactly the kind of gut-check win they needed.
Jamal Murray Takes Over Crunch Time
The box score will tell you Murray shot a blistering 15-for-24 from the field, but it won’t capture the sheer inevitability of his fourth-quarter performance. With the game knotted at 110 and the clock ticking under three minutes, the air in the arena grew heavy. The Wizards, sitting at 10-31 and playing for pride, smelled blood.
Murray, however, smelled an opportunity.
With 2:12 remaining, Murray isolated on the perimeter and buried a cold-blooded 3-pointer that finally gave the Nuggets a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. He wasn’t done. Moments later, he pulled up for another jumper, followed by two ice-cold free throws to stretch the lead to 117-110. It was a masterclass in closing, the kind of “give me the ball and get out of the way” dominance that reminds you why Murray is one of the league’s most dangerous postseason performers.
He scored 16 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter alone, essentially refusing to let Denver lose.
Nuggets Depth Steps Up
While Murray was the headliner, he didn’t sing solo. The Nuggets needed every bit of firepower they could muster to hold off a feisty Washington squad.
Tim Hardaway Jr., proving he still has plenty of gas left in the tank, was electric. He notched a season-high 30 points, providing the secondary scoring punch Denver desperately misses when Jokic sits. Hardaway was aggressive from the jump, attacking the rim and stretching the floor, forcing the Wizards’ defense to pick their poison.
Then there was Peyton Watson. The young forward continues to blossom, chipping in 21 points and bringing his trademark energy to both ends of the floor. With Jokic out nursing a knee bruise, Denver needed players to step out of their defined roles and shoulder a heavier load. Watson and Hardaway did exactly that, combining for 51 points and ensuring Murray didn’t have to do it entirely alone.
A Trap Game Avoided
Let’s be honest: this had “trap game” written all over it. Coming off emotional wins against New Orleans and Dallas, and facing a struggling Wizards team at the end of a road trip, the Nuggets could be forgiven for coming out flat.
And for a while, it looked like they might pay the price.
Washington, led by Kyshawn George’s 29 points, didn’t play like a team on a six-game losing streak. They played fast and loose, leading for significant chunks of the game. They took a 63-62 lead into halftime and held an 86-83 advantage entering the fourth. Every time Denver tried to pull away, the Wizards answered. Khris Middleton and Alex Sarr added 16 points apiece, keeping the pressure on the defending champs until the final buzzer.
But championship pedigree matters. Even without their best player, the Nuggets knew how to execute when the game tightened up. They shot 53% from the floor and a solid 40% from deep, but more importantly, they got the stops when it mattered.
A crucial sequence late in the fourth saw Bruce Brown find Aaron Gordon for an alley-oop dunk that brought the house down, serving as the exclamation point on a hard-fought night.
What This Win Means for Denver
This marked Denver’s fourth straight win and its sixth in seven games, solidifying its grip on the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. More importantly, it proved—yet again—that the “Jokic-less Nuggets” narrative is changing.
In years past, a Jokic absence often meant a scheduled loss. This season, Denver is finding ways to grind these games out. They aren’t always masterpieces, but they count just the same.
“We’re showing what we can do,” Murray said after the game. “Just playing basketball and playing together. The ball is hopping. Playing hard. We’ve got a squad.”
The Nuggets (29-13) now look ahead to hosting the Hornets on Sunday, hoping to keep the momentum rolling. Whether Jokic returns or not, Saturday night proved that Jamal Murray is more than capable of keeping the engine running.
For the Wizards, it’s another moral victory in a season full of them, but moral victories don’t change the loss column. They head home to face the Clippers, still searching for answers, while Denver sleeps soundly knowing their championship mettle remains intact.
