NBA Game Preview - Denver at Washington

Sat Jan 4, 2020 8:00 PM EST

The Denver Nuggets showed patience with Michael Porter Jr. as he worked his way back from back surgery that dropped him from possibly the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft to No. 14.

The patience, it seems, is paying off, and the future looks bright for the young forward as Denver gets ready to face the host Washington Wizards on Saturday night. Porter had a career-high 25 points in a win at Indiana on Thursday night, showing off more of his potential by hitting 11 of 12 shots.

"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 said after Thursday's game.

Porter's upward trajectory comes on a roster that is filled with young talent, led by All-Star center Nikola Jokic. Porter played sporadically for the first quarter of the season but has started to get more minutes. And he is making an impression on his teammates, especially after missing just one shot against the Pacers.

"He was shooting into a big hoop," Jokic said. "He was attacking the basket, he was doing pullups, step-backs, he was getting to the line, he was getting points in transition. He was all the ways. I was happy for him. It's really good to have someone who can score a lot."

Denver faces the Wizards feeling rested and relatively healthy now that guard Gary Harris returned after missing two games. Washington is a hurting unit, with rookie Rui Hachimura trying to work his way back from the sore groin that has cost him the past nine games, and guard Bradley Beal in and out of the lineup.

Beal, who recently had his consecutive games played streak ended at 194 due to soreness in his right knee, didn't play in the Wizards' 122-103 loss to Portland on Friday night. Beal has missed three of the past four games and may sit out against Denver.

Beal leads the team in scoring at 27.8 points a game, and despite Washington's 10-24 record, he wants to play whenever he can.

"I'm the type of guy where if it's not broken, I'm going to play. But at the same time, I also don't want to have an injury that's lingering from here on through the rest of the year," Beal told The Washington Post this week. "Those are some of the worst ones to have. If I can nip it in the bud, that's great. If it's something I'll have to play through, then I'll do so. But I'm trusting our staff and myself and making sure I'm 100 percent before I step on the floor."

The Nuggets will get another look at guard Isaiah Thomas, who spent last season with them. Thomas has played 25 games for Washington, starting 22, averaging 13.0 points a game. That average took a hit Friday night when he was ejected after a minute for making contact with an official.

He also was suspended for two games in December for walking into the stands to confront two fans in Philadelphia.

--Field Level Media