The Denver Nuggets dropped another game without Nikola Jokic on their road trip tonight, losing 105-90 against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led all scorers with 20 points, adding a steal and three blocks in what was a defensive-oriented game for both teams. Julian Strawther was the leading scorer for the Nuggets with 19 points, hitting 4-of-7 from three-point range. He was the lone bright spot. Peyton Watson also had some pretty good moments, including hitting another three-pointer early on.

Unfortunately, outside of a late rally to make the score look a bit more respectable, there wasn’t a lot to like about the Nuggets execution tonight. Scoring 90 points is one thing, but they simply looked bland for much of the game. Without Jokic in the middle of the floor to direct traffic and attract attention, Grizzlies players were able to play aggressive perimeter defense.

That bothered Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. in particular. The two combined for 23 points on 27 shots and simply were unable to carry the scoring burden the Nuggets needed them to carry without Jokic and Aaron Gordon.

Murray had 13 points on 6-of-15 from the field and 1-of-6 from three-point range. Though he filled up the box score in other ways with some impressive defense, rebounding, and passing, that wasn’t what the Nuggets needed from him. They needed Murray to get buckets, and he wasn’t able to generate good shots for himself in the Nuggets offense. He also had six turnovers and struggled against ball pressure.

Porter had 10 points on 4-of-12 from the field and 0-of-4 from three-point range. I fear I may have jinxed Porter a bit in the pregame article, and he simply looked uncomfortable tonight as well. His defense was a bit more subpar as well, and three rebounds for the 6’10” forward feels pretty low.

Dario Saric filled in once again as the starting center, and he played reasonably well. Saric finished with a double-double, adding three assists and two steals while shooting 2-of-5 from three.

Denver had some other contributions as well, with Christian Braun doing a solid job in his individual matchup with Desmond Bane. Braun held Bane to just 11 points on 12 shots, but the Grizzlies wing had 12 rebounds and seven assists to go with it, still finding ways to impact the game without scoring.

As a team, the Grizzlies won the battle on the margins all night, playing with more physicality than Denver, grabbing more offensive rebounds, hitting a couple more shots, and forcing some more turnovers. There was little more the Nuggets could do defensively with the personnel they had. This was a scoring problem for Denver. 90 points simply won’t cut it.

Finding Fire

It’s been firmly established that the Nuggets are a worse team when Jokic sits. When he’s out, the team has to deal with 48 minutes of not having the best player in the world. When he’s playing but has to sit, there’s a collective intake of breath around Nuggets fandom.

Nobody should expect the Nuggets to look like world-beaters when their best player isn’t playing. There’s just not enough juice without him. If Denver had Aaron Gordon, it might be different. Gordon’s been Denver’s second best regular season player for a while, and his ability to assume the Jokic role when Jokic isn’t out there has helped Denver steal some wins in averse situations.

Without those two, the bulk of the scoring and playmaking starts with Murray. That’s a tough place for him to be, but it’s also the burden he needs to bear. The Nuggets rarely ask Murray to go get 30 points anymore. He has scored 30+ just eight times since the beginning of the 2023-24 season. I thought Murray played pretty well tonight in every other category other than individual scoring, but in games without Jokic, the rest of the game has to take a back seat. Murray has to be able to score.

If Murray’s not able to do that, then the Nuggets simply have to feature someone else more frequently in games that Jokic rests. Before tonight, Porter was the consistent scoring option. He needs to be force-fed some opportunities next game. Maybe Julian Strawther needs to play more for some three-point shooting juice. Maybe Russell Westbrook needs to be out there more to set the table for the entire team.

The reality is this: 94 points against a bad Pelicans defense and 90 points against a middle of the pack Grizzlies defense isn’t good enough. Denver’s floor has to be higher to win these games without their best player.

It’s fortunate that Jokic’s absence shouldn’t be a long one and this conversation becomes less of a talking point. It’s unfortunate that the Nuggets couldn’t get either of the past two games. Both were winnable. That’s how you bulk up a win-loss record.

Now, the Nuggets are 7-5 and on pace to win roughly 48 games.

Final Rotations