BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Reinforcements arrived for the Nuggets in New York, but they weren’t enough to reverse the team’s fortunes.
With Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun back in the lineup, Denver trailed for almost all 48 minutes in a 127-115 loss to the Nets on Sunday at Barclays Center — a reminder that even with the supporting cast more intact, winning without Nikola Jokic will continue to be difficult in the coming weeks.
Jamal Murray played 40 minutes the day before a back-to-back in Philadelphia, where the Nuggets (23-12) will remain short-handed without Jokic, Cam Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas.
Murray was dealing with double-teams and aggressive ball pressure all afternoon in Brooklyn. It messed with his rhythm early in what ended up being a 1-for-7 outside shooting performance, but he still compiled 27 points and a career-high 16 assists. He scored or assisted on 20 of Denver’s 30 made field goals in the first three quarters.
When he wasn’t on the court, David Adelman tried to make sure Gordon was. Brooklyn’s defense showed him the same respect, trying to force the ball out of his hands even while he was in a physically compromised state. Denver still won his 21 minutes as he went for 20 points and six rebounds.
But the Nuggets’ lack of size continued to hurt them. Brooklyn scored 21 second-chance points.
Adelman was also reluctant to play Gordon at the five, a more physically demanding position on the glass and in defensive matchups. DaRon Holmes II started at center while Gordon came off the bench and played a lot of his minutes with Zeke Nnaji.
“I think with an injury like he had and the explosion part of it with the defensive rebounding … I’ve got to put him in the best situation possible,” Adelman said. “Sometimes, it’s impossible not to have someone have to go do (the responsibilities of a center) because that’s part of the game. But the least amount of explosion plays for him right now would be a good thing. Yeah, Aaron has played the five. Obviously, won a championship with him playing the five as a backup. So we can go there. … I’d rather not do it today.”
Braun played 24 minutes but struggled to make as much of an impact as Gordon, finishing a minus-23 with three points and three fouls. He had last played Nov. 12, when James Harden stepped on his right foot and caused him to take an awkward step that sprained his left ankle.
Brooklyn Nets guard Terance Mann (14) fights for control of the ball with Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
The Nuggets played a 10-man rotation to account for the minutes restrictions. Julian Strawther and Hunter Tyson were the only available players on the 15-man roster who didn’t play.
Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 24 points in his first career game against the Nuggets. Sharing a hug and a laugh with Murray before the opening tip, he proceeded to get to the foul line nine times in a double-double effort.
Noah Clowney broke out of a recent shooting slump with a 4-for-6 game outside the arc, another variable for Denver to fight upstream against.
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