Jamal Murray can carry the scoring load for the Denver Nuggets as they wait for Nikola Jokic to return from a knee injury.
The jury is still out on whether others can handle the rebounding responsibilities without Jokic as the Nuggets hope to bounce back from a rough night on the glass when they visit the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
The Nuggets are 1-3 on a seven-game road trip that ends Wednesday in Boston, splitting the past two games since Jokic injured his knee in Miami on Monday. Denver started Jonas Valanciunas in Wednesday’s 106-103 win over the Toronto Raptors, but the veteran is out four weeks after injuring his calf.
Without Valanciunas, Spencer Jones started at center in Friday’s 113-108 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Murray scored 34 points and Peyton Watson had 21, but without injured starters Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, Denver’s other three starters — Jones, Daron Holmes and Jalen Pickett — combined for 25 points and only 12 boards as the Nuggets were outrebounded 55-32.
Denver finished with a season-low in rebounds and gave up its most all season. The Nuggets were beaten on the glass for the third straight game, but not for a lack of effort.
“Very proud to coach this team tonight,” Denver coach David Adelman said. “I just thought we came to play. We were part of the game physically from the beginning. Obviously, we’re at a disadvantage at certain positions. But I’ll take this kind of effort every night.”
Gordon (hamstring) and Braun (ankle) could return by the end of Denver’s trip.
Jones has made 19 starts this season but Holmes and Pickett are getting their first major minutes.
The Nets won seven of 10 games before losing three straight to the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards. Brooklyn held an early double-digit lead against Golden State on Monday before fading in the fourth quarter. It endured blowout losses in a back-to-back with Houston and Washington while playing short-handed.
Former Nugget Michael Porter Jr. missed the past two games with an illness and the Nets are 0-6 without the forward, who is averaging a career-best 25.8 points.
In Friday’s 119-99 loss to the Wizards, Brooklyn held out Cam Thomas on the second night of a back-to-back after he played three games in his return from a left hamstring injury.
The Nets were also missing Nic Claxton due to personal reasons and Sharpe started at center along with rookies Egor Demin and Danny Wolf. Demin returned from a back ailment and finished with 10 points while Wolf had 11 as the duo combined to shoot 7 of 22 from the field.
Rookies Drake Powell scored 14 and Nolan Traore added 12 but it was the eighth time Brooklyn finished with fewer than 100 points. The Nets made their fewest 3-pointers of the season (six) and their 29 attempts were a season low.
“There was a couple of guys out, and that’s good because these new experiences are very good for everybody,” Brooklyn coach Jordi Fernandez said. “There are a lot of things that can be cleaned up and then we will have the chance to win games like this.”
