The Denver Nuggets have done a lot of adjusting this season. Far more than they could've expected.

The first player to go down for them this season was Christian Braun, and he was followed by Aaron Gordon, who was followed by Cameron Johnson, and now Nikola Jokic has joined the list. That's four of Denver's opening night starters, with Jamal Murray being the only player remaining.

He might be playing at an All-Star level, but it's hard to find success when you are the focal point of the opposing team's defensive gameplan. Despite that, the Nuggets secured a win in their first game without Jokic against the Toronto Raptors, but came up short on Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Most teams would look like one of the worst teams in the league after losing a player like Jokic to injury, but the Nuggets have managed to look competent so far, with a lot of that due to the team's mentality and effort.

After the 113-108 loss to the Nuggets, head coach David Adelman praised his group for how they've been able to handle the past two games without their Hall of Fame-level center.

"All the excuses in the world, but if you play with great effort and you play together, and that's what these guys are doing, and I think they're going to continue to do that because that's just who we've been all year," Adelman said.

While those excuses can be injuries, they can also be the pressure Jamal Murray is facing, as he saw numerous double teams and still managed to pour in 34 points on 12-of-28 shooting. Even though the Nuggets scored just 11 points in the fourth quarter, Adelman was pleased to see his team continuing to show the effort throughout and look for one another.

"The collective belief in one another has not changed, and tonight was the same thing," he added.

The Nuggets might be without four of their starters and one of their top backups in Jonas Valanciunas, but that isn't stopping them from competing. Obviously, the Nuggets' scoring performance in the fourth quarter ended up being a deciding factor, but they hung in there with one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Looking ahead for Denver on the rest of this seven-game road trip, they'll see the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, before turning around to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday and the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. With three games in four days, the Nuggets will be tested, and the mental strength and resilience of this roster will be pushed to the limits.