Hindsight Takeaways from Wizards' Dominance Over Nuggets

That shot made immediate waves across the NBA, going down as not only one of the wilder finishes of the season with the worst eastern team besting what many viewed as a western contender, but this wasn't even the first time the Washington Wizards managed that sort of feat this season.

Just three months prior, the still-tanking Wizards took it to the Nuggets in even more dominant fashion, building a near-double-digit lead around halftime and maintaining a several-possession advantage through game's end. Instead of requiring a go-ahead prayer to snap a tie like they would in their next matchup, Poole and friends contributed a group effort to foil 3x MVP Nikola Jokic on the night of his then-career-high 56-point masterpiece.

Now, the Nuggets are once again on the ropes, this time in a 1-1 series against the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. Denver recently fired their coach and is now desperately clawing to extend their season in a matchup that many assume they'll lose against a deeper contender, making those wild finishes against the Wizards look more to the rest of the NBA like omens of a Denver season that wasn't meant to be.

But to Washington, these were signs of their fight and lack of fear in the face of an unfavorable matchup. These young guys have been considered underdogs in just about every game they've ever played, why not try and make a statement with a win in the face of some of the league's made men?

That pair of surprise victories, two of the 18 that the Wizards would end up netting in their only non-Charlotte-related season sweep, played host to two of Poole's finest moments of the year. That game-winner will go down as a career highlight of his, the kind of shot only someone with supreme confidence in themselves would dare consider, let alone shoot, but that's not to overshadow the 39-point, eight assist showing he made in that first December upset.

It was interesting seeing the former NBA champion and lead shot taker Poole scale his game up to what was then one of the league's elite squads, but more surprising was witnessing how the younger, vastly less experienced Wizards rose to the occasions.

Alex Sarr scored a career-high 34 points on Jokic in their second meetup, extending Denver's defense beyond their comfort zone with his 3-point range. Fellow rookie Kyshawn George, too, made an impact with timely shooting, strengthening Washington's never-go-away attitude in setting up Poole's eventual winner.

The Nuggets are still trying to manage their lack of depth around their perennial MVP candidate in Jokic, only now they're playing for their lives in Inglewood this week in attempting to fend off the Clippers.

But before there was Kawhi Leonard and James Harden to strike fear in Denver, it was Jordan Poole and his young teammates who put themselves on the map as competitors cared more about winning than the odds.