The Denver Nuggets had plenty of offense Monday night. What they didn’t have was enough of everything else.
Denver fell 118-110 to the Portland Trail Blazers after a second-half collapse that wiped out a promising start and dropped the Nuggets to 3-3. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were brilliant, combining for 61 points, but the rest of the night belonged to Portland’s charge, led by Deni Avdija with 28 points, three rebounds and five assists, Damian Lillard with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Jrue Holiday with 17 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.
The loss didn’t come out of nowhere. Denver had won two straight on the road and entered the night with some momentum. But the way this one slipped away made the result sting a lot more than a normal early-season defeat.
For one thing, Jokic and Murray needed more help than they got.
Murray finished with 35 points, five rebounds and six assists on 10-for-19 shooting, while Jokic posted 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists on 10-for-22 shooting. That duo did almost all the heavy lifting.
Aaron Gordon, who usually gives Denver a dependable third option, managed just five points and six rebounds. Christian Braun was the only other Nugget to reach double figures, finishing with 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
That lack of balance stood out even more because of how Denver has been winning. In the team’s victories this season, at least five players have scored in double figures, with the offense spreading the load more evenly. Monday was the opposite: too much on Jokic and Murray, not nearly enough from everyone else.
The rebounding battle told a similar story.
Denver was beaten badly on the glass, 53-37, and Portland grabbed 21 offensive rebounds. That kind of edge gives a team extra possessions, extra chances, and eventually, a way back into the game.
It also put Jokic in an unusual spot, as Donovan Clingan outworked him on the boards. Clingan finished with 17 points and a game-high 18 rebounds, a number that nearly matched half of Denver’s total by himself.
The Nuggets also let the game slip after halftime.
They opened well enough, scoring 31 in the first quarter and 35 in the second. Braun and Murray helped set the tone early, and Denver’s offense looked sharp enough to build a cushion.
But the third quarter changed everything. The Nuggets managed only 21 points, and Portland’s pressure started to take over.
By the fourth quarter, Denver’s lead had nearly disappeared. The Nuggets tried to push back midway through the final period, but the comeback never really took hold.
With Braun, Cam Johnson and Gordon hesitant to keep firing, Jokic and Murray were left trying to carry the offense by themselves. Portland outscored Denver 33-23 in the fourth, and that was that.
The defensive issues were just as troubling.
Denver was solid enough in the first quarter, holding Portland to 19 points, but that energy vanished in the second. The Trail Blazers scored 39 in the quarter and shot 11-for-22 from the field. From there, the Nuggets never fully recovered.
That second-half drop-off has already shown up in all three of Denver’s losses this season. The Warriors’ 40-point third quarter remains the most points the Nuggets have allowed in a quarter this year, and their third-quarter defensive rating of 121.3 ranks 23rd in the NBA. For a team that still has plenty of season left, the warning signs are already pretty clear: if Denver keeps losing control after halftime, nights like Monday will keep piling up.
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Jamal Murray gave Denver exactly the kind of lift it needed late in the second quarter against Portland, turning a tight stretch into a little more breathing room before halftime. The Nuggets were already getting strong work from Murray, who had 20 points by the break, and his attack helped Denver take a 66-58 lead into the locker room.
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