The elation didn’t last long inside Ball Arena. A bunch of fans in orange and blue made the short trek from Empower Field at Mile High after the Broncos win and settled in for a much less anticipated Nuggets game against the Wizards, which entered with the NBA’s worst net rating and the secon d-worst record in the Eastern Conference, on Saturday at Ball Arena. “It was kind of dead in there for a little bit, because everybody was on the Broncos game,” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray admitted. “I feel like they got to us, and it was like ‘Oh, whatever.’” It didn’t help that the news of Bo Nix’s injury broke minutes into the Nuggets’ 121-115 win that required a seven-point comeback in the final 10 minutes. Nuggets coach and Bills fan David Adelman was disappointed in his basketball team’s rebounding and the officiating his football team received, but he’s happy for the city after a 2-0 day in Denver. “I heard it was a catch, but they said it wasn’t,” Adelman said of a controversial call late in the Broncos win. “I’ll be honest really quick, amazing game and super happy for Denver, but I feel terrible for Bo Nix. … It’s stuff like that in sports you hate seeing, because it’s not deserved after a game like that. You want the team that moves on to go with the momentum they have, so the next game is as good as that one was. Super bummed for my team, but it’s really cool for the city of Denver.” Aaron Gordon took a break from his pregame shooting routine to watch Wil Lutz’s game-winning field goal on the Ball Arena jumbotron. A couple of hours later, Gordon was hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final three minutes and threw down a reverse dunk off an alley-oop that put the Nuggets ahead by seven with 36 seconds left. Bruce Brown’s floater in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter was the only other points scored by Nuggets not named Jamal Murray or Tim Hardaway Jr. in the fourth quarter. Denver Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) goes up for a basket as Washington Wizards forward Marvin Bagley III, left, defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Murray scored 16 of his game-high 42 points in the fourth quarter, while Hardaway dropped 15 of his 30 points in the final 12 minutes. Those performances gave Denver fans reason to smile. “I know there really wasn’t that much energy in the building today,” Hardaway said. “I think everybody was still on a high from the Broncos game. Congrats to those guys, huge win. I think they all came over here, and I think all their energy was gone. We just tried to find our own energy in ourselves. I just tried to do the best I could to come off the bench and be that sparkplug.” Peyton Watson was the only other Nugget in double figures with 21 points. Kyshawn George led the Wizards with 29 points. “It felt like a game we were going to fall behind, honestly, just with the energy,” Adelman said. “I thought the guys just found a way in the fourth quarter to galvanize themselves, get themselves going. There’s a lot of ways to win these games. … If we lost this game, we would remember it. We won’t remember this game now because we won it. It’s just part of the tally of the season. There’s just certain nights where the energy is off, and you just have to find a way to stay in it long enough to win it. That’s what we did.” NUGGETS 121, WIZARDS 115 What happened: Washington erased Denver’s seven-point lead after the first quarter and led 63-62 at halftime. Denver trailed by three to start the fourth quarter and used a 38-point fourth quarter to flip the lead. What went right: Aaron Gordon finished with 11 of Denver’s 31 assists, while starting at center. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and finished two points shy of posting a triple-double. What went wrong: Washington grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and finished with a 27-4 advantage in second-chance points. Six different Wizards grabbed multiple offensive rebounds. Highlight of the night: Tim Hardaway Jr. set a new season-high with a driving left-handed dunk that gave Denver a two-point lead in the final four minutes. Hardaway finished with 30 points. Up next: The Nuggets are back at Ball Arena to host the Hornets on Sunday. ...read more read less