Denver @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 26, 2019 ) Washington 104, Denver 117

The Denver Nuggets attempt to win for the 11th time in 13 contests when they visit the Washington Wizards on Saturday. The talented Denver squad is now also receiving a boost from rookie forward Michael Porter Jr., who scored a season-best 25 points on 11-of-12 shooting in Thursday's 124-116 road win over the Indiana Pacers.

Porter missed all of last season due to a back injury and has recently begun to make an impact by averaging 15.5 points over the past four games while making 26-of-35 field-goal attempts. "I felt really comfortable out there," Porter said in a postgame television interview after Thursday's game. "It's amazing to start the year like this. It's an amazing feeling and I have my teammates and coaches to thank." The Wizards were outclassed 122-103 by the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and have lost 16 of their past 21 games. Star guard Bradley Beal missed three of the past four games due to a leg injury, which he re-aggravated Wednesday in a collision that left Orlando forward Jonathan Isaac (knee) sidelined for at least two months.

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: Altitude, NBCS Washington

ABOUT THE NUGGETS (24-10): How the 21-year-old Porter would fare this season was a big unknown after back problems derailed his past two seasons, including a college campaign at Missouri in which he played in just three games. But he has starred in each of Denver's past two victories - he scored 19 points against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday - and now the focus is turning to how soon he might be ready to form a Big Three with star center Nikola Jokic and point guard Jamal Murray. "I think everybody's getting more and more excited about what Michael's going to bring, not just in the future, but right now," Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters.

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (10-24): Guard Jordan McRae is stepping up with Beal sidelined and he scored a career-best 35 against Portland after tallying 20 and 29 in the other two games Beal recently sat out. McRae scored 22 of Washington's 45 second-half points, making four 3-pointers overall, and is 16-of-29 from behind the arc over the past four games. Fellow reserve guards Garrison Mathews (18 points, career-high five 3-pointers) and Ish Smith (16 points) also thrived as the Wizards received 76 points from reserves and only 27 from starters.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Nuggets have won 11 of their past 16 visits to Washington.

2. Wizards PG Isaiah Thomas was ejected 88 seconds into Friday's game for pushing his hand into the chest of referee Marat Kogut, and causing the official to fall into the first row of seats.

3. Jokic scored 22 points against Indiana on Thursday for his fifth 20-point effort in the past six games.

PREDICTION: Nuggets 125, Wizards 113