The Denver Nuggets returned home from a one-game road trip to face one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks. New York came out strong early and used a strong second quarter to put a huge gap between them and Denver on the scoreboard. With the big lead, the Nuggets began to lose heart and that led to an embarrassing loss. Denver’s big three played well and Russell Westbrook had an incredible fourth quarter, but no one played defense all night and the Knicks took advantage. Nuggets drop an ugly drop, 145-118.

The game started slowly in terms of results, with only six points total in the first two minutes. The Nuggets got some tough calls, but also prevented New York from gaining a reputation. The Knicks were able to build a small lead behind Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, which grew to six at the halfway point of the quarter. Nikola Jokic kept the Nuggets in control with some hyper-aggressive scoring while New York had no defenders to slow him down. He reached double figures with several minutes left in the first game. The three balls kept New York in the lead, but Denver remained within striking distance as the quarter neared its end. Brunson and Jokic dueled in the final minutes and Brunson won the fight. He single-handedly led the Knicks 9-2, and New York led 36-24 after a run.

Joker with 13 points in the first quarter

13 PTS / 4 REB / 2 AST pic.twitter.com/8zpj1CszdQ

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 26, 2024

Michael Porter Jr. got a few shots early in the second quarter, but otherwise the bench group looked completely lost. New York went on an 11-0 run and led by 21. After eight minutes, Michael Malone had to bring Jokic back into the game. It didn’t matter much since the Knicks were still doing everything and no one but Porter scored for Denver. With just under half of the quarter to go, the Nuggets extended the lead and got it back under twenty, but some mental errors on defense put them back in the lead. It stayed that way in the first half. Porter would bring Denver closer and then they would take a step back. Each time they did this, their shoulders slumped a little more and they seemed a little less interested on the court. At the end of the half the deficit was 76:53.

bang and jam pic.twitter.com/YVeJK2CP4L

– NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 26, 2024

Denver began the second half forgetting to defend at least one player on seemingly every possession, leading to an angry Malone timeout less than two minutes into the third quarter. The Knicks simply ran with every shot attempt from the Nuggets and got easy layups in transition. A little later in the quarter, the Nuggets made a small run to force a New York timeout after cutting the lead to 3.5 seconds Only twenty-two. However, as they had done all night, they made too many mistakes in defense to make any significant gains. With four minutes left in the third, Westbrook hit a three-pointer, which was the bench’s first field goal, and the lead shrank to twenty. They kept it there as the quarter played out. However, OG Anunoby was a thorn in Denver’s side the entire quarter, he repeatedly had great chances and had thirty-eight points before the end of the quarter (18 in the third quarter alone). After three games, Denver trailed 113-87.

Are you kidding, OG!? 😱 pic.twitter.com/FrJDTDJrrJ

– NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 26, 2024

The fourth period began with more Knicks scoring at will while continuing to get what they wanted. When the game ended with about eight minutes left, the lead was already thirty and it looked like there would be no reason to bring back Jokic or Jamal Murray. Westbrook deserves credit for still playing with intensity in a game where the lead was as high as 35. He ended up having a great fourth quarter, scoring 24 points and at least making things look a little more respectable, but there was little else to be excited about. Malone cleared the bench with three minutes left and it was over. Nuggets lose badly, 145-118.

I have to find that mental strength

The Nuggets looked completely uninterested tonight, especially on defense. Things got almost comical at the start of the third quarter when the Knicks left a player out on basically every possession and the Nuggets gave him free run to the basket. All the Matador defense boosted New York’s confidence and then they couldn’t miss. Suddenly OG Anunoby looked like Kevin Durant. Energy continues to be an issue for the Nuggets early in the season, and not in a good way. Hopefully they will find their common fire soon.

Jamal looked better

A bright spot for tonight is Jamal Murray’s performance. He had been through a tough slump at the start of the season, but at least tonight he looked a little more like himself. I think he still looks a step slow when he gets around his defender, and at the other end of the pitch the opposition is definitely after him, but that’s nothing new. Denver doesn’t need Bubble Murray right now, they just need a few more nights like tonight. If Jamal can continue to put up 20 points and dish out a half-dozen or more assists a night, that will go a long way toward reassuring Nuggets Nation.