NBA Northwest

Nikola Jokić set a new career-high scoring total, but it wasn't enough to propel the Denver Nuggets to a win on Saturday night.

Jokić recorded a personal-best mark with 56 points against the Washington Wizards, although the Nuggets ultimately fell by the final score of 122-113.

THE WIZARDS SNAP THEIR 16-GAME LOSING STREAK DESPITE THE JOKER’S 56 PTS, 16 REB & 8 AST 🤯 pic.twitter.com/QLEfcZZSfL

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 8, 2024

The three-time MVP also pulled down 16 rebounds and dished out eight assists, shooting 22-38 from the field and 3-5 from behind the arc.

A NEW CAREER-HIGH FOR THE JOKER 🪣

53 POINTS AND COUNTING 👀 pic.twitter.com/r1x0BZynHI

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 8, 2024

Denver wasn't able to remain effective from three-point territory throughout the contest. Outside of Jokić, the Nuggets shot 2-19 on long-range attempts as a team.

The loss was a shocking result, especially given the fact that the Wizards entered the game with the worst record in the NBA at 2-18 and were in the midst of a 16-game losing streak. Washington also owns the worst net rating in the association (via NBA.com).

Fans praised Jokić but called out the Nuggets for the disappointing defeat.

Nuggets just had one of the worst losses of the season of any team. Nikola Jokic with 56 of Denver's 113 points. Don't care they were without two starters. Playing such garbage defense and losing to the Wizards is embarrassing. Played like a team that's given up.

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) December 8, 2024

as much as i complain about the lakers not giving ad and lebron enough help, what the nuggets are doing to jokic in his PRIME is criminal

— claire de lune (@ClaireMPLS) December 8, 2024

https://twitter.com/TermineRadio/status/1865584005870960871

Starting to feel real bad for Nikola Jokic.

— liv (@livmoods) December 8, 2024

Nikola Jokic scores a career high 56 points — in one of the most embarrassing losses that I can remember.

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) December 8, 2024

I honestly can't believe what I'm watching here. Jokic has been absolutely insane.

So have the rest of the Nuggets, but in the worst way possible.

— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) December 8, 2024

imagine dropping 56 PTS, 16 REB, and 8 AST and your team still loses to give the wizards their first win in 16 games. jokić deserves a week of PTO and unlimited time frolicking with any horse of his choice

— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) December 8, 2024

Nikola Jokic looking at his teammates right now…. pic.twitter.com/HVfI7EEE2L

— Jeremy Nicolls (@JeremyNicolls) December 8, 2024

What a complete joke. This entire team should be ashamed for wasting a player like Jokic

— Lyle Färly (@DenverNuggetsF6) December 8, 2024

For the Wizards, Jordan Poole led the way with 39 points and eight assists. He shot 46.2 percent from the field, hitting nine three-pointers.

Jonas Valančiūnas also chipped in with a double-double, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds to go along with five blocks.

Following a 7-3 start to the season, the Nuggets have now lost seven of their past 11 games.

The Minnesota Timberwolves could reportedly be active ahead of the 2025 NBA Trade Deadline.

Tim Bontemps of ESPN reported that the Timberwolves have been labeled as "potential player" on the trade market prior to the Feb. 6 deadline and that improving from the team's current 11-10 record is the franchise's focus.

That's why Minnesota has been labeled by league decision-makers as a potential player between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Yes, the Wolves are coming off comfortable victories against the reeling Lakers and shorthanded Clippers, but they have higher aspirations than battling for the last play-in spot, which is where they currently sit.

Just because you're trading for talent, it has to be the right fit. They have to learn and adjust," a scout told Bontemps. "Making a trade that late [right before training camp] is hard. So I'm empathetic.

That start has Minnesota in 10th place in the Western Conference. While it's still early in the season, that would represent the final play-in spot and that is not where a team that reached the conference finals in 2024 expected to be.

Additionally, Minnesota dealt away star center Karl-Anthony Towns late in the offseason to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, among other assets. While that move theoretically added more depth to the core around Anthony Edwards, Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert, the early returns have not exactly produced the intended results.

Edwards is averaging 26.2 points, Randle is averaging 21, Reid is averaging 13 and Gobert is averaging 10.6. Adding some more depth scoring could be beneficial to the Timberwolves' chances of advancing up the standings.

When the Denver Nuggets take on the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Nikola Jokić will have some of the most unique shoes in the NBA.

The star is expected to debut his Joker 1 signature shoe in a new "Joker" themed colorway. The shoes take inspiration from the iconic Batman character with a purple upper and green sole.

Nikola Jokic is expected to debut his Joker 1 signature shoe in this new “Joker” themed colorway tonight: pic.twitter.com/9My8jCdlaq

— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) December 3, 2024

Jokić debuted his first signature shoe with 361 earlier this year and wore a unique "Champagne" colorway back in November. The three-time MVP hasn't had a major marketing campaign for his shoe but has gained some attention for them throughout the year.

Nikola Jokic breaks out a new colorway of the 361 Joker 1 🃏 pic.twitter.com/X5azFdabDf

— Sole Retriever (@SoleRetriever) November 3, 2024

Jokić, now in his 10th season in the NBA, is having another outstanding year, putting up 29.6 points, 13.2 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game—all three of those numbers sitting inside the top five in the NBA so far this year.

If he can continue that kind of production through the rest of the season, it might be good enough to win him his fourth MVP award.

The Nuggets haven't had an ideal start to the season, heading into Tuesday's matchup at 10-8, but they can pick up some much-needed momentum with a win over Golden State.

Utah Jazz players John Collins, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton are all considered potential trade targets ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, according to NBA Insider Marc Stein.

Collins is no stranger to trade talks, having been acquired by the Jazz in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks last season.

After an underperforming season last year, Collins is playing his best basketball since the 2019-2020 season, averaging 17.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the field.

this is your reminder to put your elf on the shelf tonight pic.twitter.com/Rp3r85qCRa

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 1, 2024

Collins has one year remaining on his five-year, $125 million contract, which he signed with the Hawks in 2021 and the Jazz inherited. The 27-year-old has certainly been earning his contract with the strong leadership he's shown this season.

"The Jazz are said to be pleased with Collins' play and glad that they took his contract on from Atlanta for the very nominal cost of one future second-round pick," Stein said.

Despite the high praise and being called "kind of the engine for our team" by Jazz head coach Will Hardy, Collins could still be part of a potential trade, according to Stein.

Along with Collins, Clarkson and Sexton are also being eyed as the Jazz are prioritizing "draft position above all this season," per Stein.

The team's ultimate goal is to build around 27-year-old forward Lauri Markkanen.

Clarkson and Sexton would be more appealing trade targets because of the smaller size of their contracts. Sexton is on a four-year, $70.95 million deal, while Clarkson has a two-year, $28.37 million contract.

Sexton is averaging 17.0 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per game, while 32-year-old Clarkson is putting up 15.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 26 minutes per game.

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook has been fined $35,000 for his "obscene gesture" during Monday's 145-118 loss to the New York Knicks.

Westbrook flipped off the Knicks bench in the fourth quarter of the loss.

The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/LG1psczc7q

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 29, 2024

The incident occurred after Westbrook was blocked by Knicks guard Josh Hart while driving to the basket.

Westbrook kept the ball as Knicks players attempted to call him for traveling. Moments later he made a three-point shot from the corner, then turned to gesture toward the New York bench.

He led the Nuggets with 27 points while coming off the bench in the loss.

This is not the first time Westbrook has been fined by the NBA. He has previously faced financial penalties for incidents including profanity usage during an interview in 2017, an on-court altercation with Rudy Gobert in 2018, and an incident with a Utah Jazz fan in 2019.

Westbrook is in his first season with the Nuggets after inking a two-year veteran minimum deal this summer. He is taking home $3.3 million this season with a player option for 2025-26, per Spotrac.

That pickup has so far proven to be a good one for the Nuggets as Westbrook has slotted in as the team's sixth man. He has averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists through 17 games and has been able to show off his playmaking skills while passing to Nuggets star Nikola Jokić.

The Nuggets are meanwhile off to an underwhelming 10-7 start to the season. After opening November with a five-game winning streak, Denver lost to the Knicks amid a 3-4 stretch that has marred the latter half of the month.

Denver entered Monday's fourth quarter already trailing by 26 points. Westbrook responded to the deficit by recording the highest-scoring quarter of his career, scoring 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, per StatMuse.

With one fifth of the 2024-25 season behind them, the Nuggets will hope a December resurgence can carry the team back toward the top of the West. Next up Westbrook and the Nuggets hit the road for a 10 p.m. ET road game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards called out his teammates after the Timberwolves lost to the Sacramento Kings 115-104 on Thanksgiving Eve.

"It's like we're not even happy for each other out there," Edwards said to Rudy Gobert after the game, according to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski. "I've never seen nothing like this in my life."

The Timberwolves have started the season 8-10 and are currently in a four-game losing streak, while having lost seven of their last nine games. The team is clearly facing internal turmoil despite its veteran core and a roster that has been together for more than just this season, which Edwards discussed, per Krawczynski:

We're just so negative right now. Last couple years, we was like this.. And I just feel like we've gradually grown away from each other, which is the craziest thing, because most of us have been together. We've got two new players, that's about it. Everybody else has been together.

"We soft as hell as a team ... just a bunch of little kids." 😳

Anthony Edwards on the current state of the T'Wolves after their 4th straight loss

(via @SneakerReporter) pic.twitter.com/YiFe70sftE

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 28, 2024

With just 18 games under their belt, it's still early in the season for the Timberwolves. However, it will take more than simply overcoming a few losses for this team to come together as a cohesive unit and rekindle hopes of another Western Conference Finals run like last season.

Anthony Edwards' spike in three-point shooting this season is entirely by design, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Windhorst reported at the 11:07 mark in the newest episode of his Hoop Collective podcast the Minnesota Timberwolves "want Ant to shoot a ton of threes." He added that Minnesota becoming a higher-volume team on the perimeter is not "happening by fluke."

Edwards is averaging 4.9 made three-pointers on 11.1 attempts through 16 games. His previous high for attempts was 8.4, so he's really getting the green light from deep.

The two-time All-Star hasn't seen his efficiency suffer, either. He's shooting 43.8 percent on threes, well above his career average (36.0 percent).

Windhorst explained the Wolves went into the offseason with the idea of changing their offensive focus a bit after finishing 23rd in three-point attempts (32.7 per game) in 2023-24.

Acquiring Donte DiVincenzo from the New York Knicks in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade was part of that strategy. Towns is rightfully regarded as one of the best shooting big men in NBA history, but DiVincenzo is both taking (7.1) and making (2.4) more threes than KAT did in his final year with Minnesota.

The Timberwolves obviously dealt Towns with an eye toward having Edwards become more of a pure shooter as well.

The overall results are encouraging. Beyond Edwards' production, Minnesota is tied for fifth in made three-pointers per game (15.5) and has gone from 17th in offensive rating (114.6) up to ninth (114.2), per NBA.com.

Head coach Chris Finch is still waiting for that improvement to be reflected in the standings, though. The Wolves are 8-8 after dropping their last two games and sit 11th in the Western Conference. Still, only two games separate them from the Los Angeles Lakers in fourth, so they're only one solid winning streak away from significantly altering their position in the playoff race.

The Russell Wilson experience appears to be going well for the Denver Nuggets.

During an appearance on the Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective podcast, Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported that the Nuggets aren't "dissatisfied" with the role Westbrook has played off of the bench and that he has made some solid contributions thus far.

"They are not dissatisfied with Russell Westbrook in Denver," MacMahon said."There's a lot of stuff happening when he is on the floor but they will tell you he is playing a pretty major role in a few wins for them at this point."

Westbrook is averaging 10.5 points, six assists and 4.5 rebounds in 13 games while playing 24.8 minutes per night. His shooting percentages are a bit low at .357 on field goals and .326 from three-point range, but he has been able to produce from the bench and has helped the team start the season 8-5.

Denver is still in a championship window with Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, so getting solid production from Westbrook can take some pressure off of the major stars. He also only has a cap hit of $3.3 million for 2024-25, so he has some value there as well.

His shooting efficiency should go up, as he hasn't shot under .400 on field goals since his rookie season, so his contributions should continue to be strong. If he can stay healthy and remain in his current role, he could have a solid shot at earning his first career NBA title with this Denver team.

An unfortunate streak continued for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.

Minnesota fell 110-105 to the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. This clinched the continuation of the Timberwolves struggles in Toronto, as the team has not claimed a victory north of the border since January 21, 2004.

The Timberwolves haven't won in Toronto in over 20 YEARS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/I6Oo5Axa5X

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 22, 2024

As the losing streak in Canada extended to 20 games, fans took to social media to roast the Timberwolves.

The stat that keeps on giving. The Timberwolves have lost 20 straight games in Toronto, dating back more than 20 years. The lineups from Minnesota's last win in Canada (Jan. 21, 2004): pic.twitter.com/Z4xptpJstn

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) November 22, 2024

https://t.co/j0n1WL3Bic pic.twitter.com/aU8OQGcEOO

— Nuke (@nukeman82) November 22, 2024

i wasn’t even alive that’s insane

— Mason 🏀📈 (@MasonMovess) November 22, 2024

Ant was 3 the last time the wolves won in Toronto lol

— TDD👨🏿‍💻 (@dantastic4_) November 22, 2024

We should get ant for compensation

— clutch (@hashi_abdullah) November 22, 2024

The Timberwolves lost in Toronto again. Minnesota has not won in Toronto since January 21, 2004, 7,610 days ago (20 years and 310 days)*.

But wait, it's not the record. The longest such span in @NBA history belongs to the Bucks, who have not won a game in Phoenix for 9,462 days… pic.twitter.com/UUF6OgXx41

— Crazy Stats (@NBAcrazystats) November 22, 2024

The streak lives!!

Timberwolves have lost 20 consecutive games in Toronto! https://t.co/x0UCkI9ykh

— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) November 22, 2024

I just want to see the Timberwolves win one in Toronto before I die

— jakes graphs (@jakesgraphs) November 22, 2024

The last win the Timberwolves got in Toronto was January 21, 2004 pic.twitter.com/HLZy2TfLWT

— Wolves Lead (@TWolvesLead) November 22, 2024

It's perfectly ok to be mad at how it happened, but it's important to remember that the Timberwolves winning in Toronto is also impossible and will never happen https://t.co/YwgmDIdRrk

— Brandon Beck (@BrandonBeck4) November 22, 2024

Wolves losing in Toronto is basically a lock

— Timberwolves Talk (@LetsTalk_Wolves) November 22, 2024

This season looked like a prime opportunity to break that streak. The Timberwolves entered the game with an 8-6 record and are an ascending team that reached the Western Conference Finals last season. Toronto, on the other hand, entered at 3-12 and are fully in rebuilding mode.

RJ Barrett was the star of the day for Toronto, scoring 31 points with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Chris Boucher contributed 22 points off the bench while Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl contributed 17 and 15 points respectively.

Anthony Edwards' 26 points led the Timberwolves while Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels had 23 and 22 points respectively. However, a 33-26 advantage for Toronto in the final quarter tipped the scale and allowed the team to keep the streak alive.

Minnesota's next opportunity to end the streak will not come until 2025-26, barring a Finals run for both teams this season.

Denver Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook was called for a technical foul after staring down a member of the Memphis Grizzlies following a layup during Tuesday's 122-110 League Cup win.

Russ was called for a tech after a stare down 👀 pic.twitter.com/vpnl64qCL2

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 20, 2024

Russell Westbrook got a tech for this staredown 😅 pic.twitter.com/30lHirFmAq

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 20, 2024

On Wednesday, the NBA announced that Westbrook's technical foul was rescinded.

Outside of that controversial—and since-reversed—technical foul, the night was also memorable for Westbrook after he became the first player in NBA history to record 200 career triple-doubles, posting 12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in the win.

"It's a blessing," Westbrook told reporters about hitting that milestone. "I'm truly grateful to be able to play the game [well enough] to do that. But I'm also appreciative of the ones who came before me."

200 triple-doubles 👏

Russell Westbrook made history in the @nuggets’ West Group C win! Keep up with the #RaceForTheEmiratesNBACup with NBA League Pass!

➡️ https://t.co/rmlsIACily pic.twitter.com/uobPlzNgoN

— NBA (@NBA) November 20, 2024

"It's hard to put into words," Nuggets guard Julian Strawther added. "Two-hundred triple-doubles is a lot. I don't even know if I've got 200 career games."

In the NBA, at least, Strawther is only at 63 career contests.

Westbrook, 36, has largely come off the bench for the Nuggets this season as the backup point guard to Jamal Murray, averaging a solid 10.8 points, six assists and 4.8 rebounds across 24.6 minutes.

It's a role he's been asked to embrace later in his career after being a nine-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion and one-time MVP during his prime years. His willingness to do so in Denver has been a contributing factor to the team's solid 8-5 start, adding important depth.

The second unit was a concern heading into the season, especially after the free agency loss of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope pushed Christian Braun into the starting lineup. Westbrook hasn't solved all of those issues, but he continues to contribute at a solid level.