Nikola Jokić reached a new high point in his Hall of Fame career on Saturday. It wasn’t enough to prevent a loss to the worst team in the NBA.

Jokić’s Denver Nuggets lost to the Washington Wizards 122-113, although the three-time MVP scored 56 points on 22 of 38 shooting as well as 16 rebounds and eight assists. The win ended a 16-game losing streak for Washington, whose record of 3-18 is still the worst in the NBA. Every other NBA team has at least five wins.

In Jokić’s case, the career highlight was less a reflection of his brilliance and more of the Nuggets’ lack of other options. Jamal Murray (hamstring) and Aaron Gordon (calf) were both out Saturday, leaving the big man essentially the No. 1, 2 and 3 options for a team that is now 11-10.

Every player not on Jokić Denver combined to score 24:56 with 10 turnovers. The bigger problem, however, may have been the defense, as the NBA’s worst team in terms of offensive rating looked extremely competent against the undermanned Nuggets.

Jordan Poole finished the game with 39 points on 12 of 26 shooting (9 of 20 from 3-point range) and eight assists. G League veteran Justin Champagnie, who had played about four and a half minutes in the NBA before Thursday, scored 23 points on 9 of 13 shooting.

There won’t be many worse losses in the NBA this season, even if the Nuggets were shorthanded and the Wizards got the rare vintage Jordan Poole game in 2022.

Denver now faces the second half of a back-to-back game with a road game against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday before the NBA schedule pauses for the regular-season tournament.