The Nuggets, who had just come off the high of their most impressive victory of the season, were determined to avoid a low point on Sunday.

Nikola Jokic’s unstoppable 42 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, one steal, and lack of turnovers helped Denver defeat the struggling Wizards 113-104 at Capital One Arena for its second consecutive victory.

In scoring 40 points for the first time this season, Jokic was 15 of 20 from the field.

This weekend, the environments in Boston and Washington served as a case study of diametrically opposed elements. The nation’s preeminent sporting event took place on Friday night, featuring the Nuggets and Celtics. Pitching two championship favorites against one another for the first of only two occasions this season, the hosts were playing in an arena where they had not lost in ten months. The Nuggets manifested with their musculature taut. Subsequently, on a Sunday of the NFL playoffs, the Washington crowd appeared to rouse from its customary state of bewilderment each time Jokic touched the ball in the post, notwithstanding the Wizards’ two attempts to claw back.

Jokic delivered a work of merit. When single-covered by a youthful Washington team, the two-time MVP detected blood. He made his initial foray to the Denver bench in the late stages of the first quarter, having amassed 15 points with ease. His distribution gradually became a factor as well; he recreated his recent overhead pass to Aaron Gordon in the diet, but his impeccable agility and robotic interior finishing ability were the focal points this time around.

Greeting him with the greatest applause of the evening occurred as he returned to the scorer’s table with 6:39 remaining in a 97-88 game. He was at 38 points at the time.

Denver prevented the Wizards (7-35) from escaping its own predicament by enabling it to remain in close range. Ten turnovers occurred during the initial half, resulting in twelve points for the Nuggets. Jordan Poole earned his third infraction with 13 seconds remaining before halftime by deftly shoving Kentavious Caldwell-Pope out of bounds after Caldwell-Pope stole one of his third passes through a passing lane.

However, the Wizards persisted each time the Nuggets (30-13) appeared to have placed them out of reach. Early in the second half, Denver established a 16-point advantage over Washington, but the visitors responded with a 9-2 run to narrow the gap to single digits. In the fourth quarter, Michael Porter Jr. and Caldwell-Pope made consecutive three-pointers to increase the lead to 109-92; Washington scored the subsequent eight.

Porter’s remarkable performance of 19 points, six rebounds, and two blocks helped offset Jamal Murray’s less effective performance (19 points, 23 shot attempts) compared to his performance in Boston. Porter, who was listed as questionable on the injury report due to an ailment shortly before tip, was able to begin.

Michael Malone’s backup center during the initial sequence of substitutions for Denver was Zeke Nnaji. However, in 5:05, Nnaji committed three fouls, forcing Malone to return to the sideline. In the second half, Jokic’s recovery minutes were occupied by DeAndre Jordan. Nnaji has only appeared in two of the Nuggets’ previous thirteen contests for seven minutes or less.