Wizards stun Nuggets despite huge night for Jokic

Jordan Poole (YouTube)

In one of the biggest upsets of the 2024-25 NBA regular season, the Washington Wizards beat the Denver Nuggets 122-113 at the Capital One Arena in Washington on Saturday. The win was significant because it was only the third Wizards win all year, Washington was a 12.5 point underdog, and it came in a game where Nuggets star Nikola Jokic had a career high 56 points.

The Wizards were led by guard Jordan Poole of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who had 39 points. Four other Wizards reached double digits. Small forward Justin Champagnie of Brooklyn, New York had 23 points, center Jonas Valanciunas of Utena, Lithuania had 20 points, guard Jared Butler of Reserve, Louisiana had 12 points, and point guard Carlton Carrington of Baltimore, Maryland had 10 points. Valanciunas had a double double, as he added 12 rebounds.

Washington has a record of three wins and 19 losses for a winning percentage of .136. Their first win came on October 28 in a 121-119 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Their second win came on October 30 in a 133-12o win over the Hawks again. Prior to Saturday, the Wizards lost 16 straight games.

This was the ninth time this season a team won a game as a double digit underdog. The previous 10+ underdog winners in 2024-25 have been the Brooklyn Nets (119-106 win over the Memphis Grizzlies as a 12.5 point underdog on October 30, 108-103 win over the Sacramento Kings as a 10.5 point underdog on November 24, and 128-120 win over the Golden State Warriors as a 13.5 point underdog on November 25), the Portland Trail Blazers (106-98 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves as a 10.5 point underdog on November 13, and 104-98 win over the Houston Rockets as a 12.5 point underdog on November 23), the Atlanta Hawks (117-116 win over the Boston Celtics as a 16.5 point underdog on November 12, and a 135-124 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers a 12 point underdog on November 27), and the San Antonio Spurs (110-104 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder as a 10 point underdog on November 19).