Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic, of Serbia, (15) dribbles against Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat, of Poland, (13) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, in Washington. AP
WASHINGTON—The scoreboard wasn’t working at the outset, when there were thousands of empty seats and the fans that did show up were quiet as can be, so the arena announcer pierced the silence Thursday night, telling the small gathering by just how much the mediocre Denver Nuggets were beating the mediocre Washington Wizards, basket after basket.
Eventually, the overhead electronic display began functioning, and when Wizards guard Bradley Beal’s airball led to a shot-clock violation with hosts already down by 12 and proud owners of seven turnovers and two made baskets, the till-then mum spectators mustered the energy to boo the home team.
It was that kind of night for the Wizards until the second half, when it became that sort of night for the Nuggets. Washington erased all of what had been a double-digit deficit and came back, thanks mainly to Beal’s 26 points and Denver’s season-high 29 turnovers, for a 92-85 victory over the Nuggets, a team missing two starters.
Washington, which began the day 12th in the 15-team Eastern Conference, improved to 8-13. The Nuggets lost for the fifth time in six games, dropping to 8-15.
John Wall scored only 15 points one game after a career-best 52, but nine came in the fourth quarter for Washington, which trailed by as many as 14 in the first half.
With starting point guard Emmanuel Mudiay inactive because of what the team said was a sprained right ankle, the Nuggets went 5 1/2 minutes without a point in the fourth quarter. In that period, they had 10 of their turnovers and shot 1 for 14 on 3-pointers – including 0 for 4 in one last-minute possession.
This was not a marquee matchup, by any definition, and the atmosphere was apt. The attendance officially was announced as 12,645 – about 7,000 shy of a sellout – but at tipoff, many fewer folks were there. The scoreboard was stuck at 0-0 for several minutes. The place had all the verve of a library.
Mudiay missed a game for the first time all season. He ranks fourth on the Nuggets in scoring at 13.1 points per game and second in assists at 3.8. He also is 10th among Western Conference guards with 4.3 rebounds per game.
Coach Michael Malone spoke beforehand about pondering lineup changes to give his team a spark, and in addition to Mudiay’s absence, Kenneth Faried was active but did not play.
The first quarter ended with Denver ahead 29-18, thanks to Washington’s less-than-ideal combination of poor shooting (8 for 22, 36 percent) and lax defense (allowing the Nuggets to go 10 of 17, 59 percent).
At halftime, Denver was up 52-47. But the Wizards woke up in the third quarter, outscoring the Nuggets 28-21 in the period to take a 75-73 edge into the fourth. The teams traded the lead in the final quarter, until the Nuggets stopped scoring.