The Denver Nuggets fell behind the Houston Rockets early in their 110-100 road loss on Monday. 

The Nuggets — who are now 5-4 — trailed by as many as 19 points before climbing back into the game with an 18-2 run in the third quarter, tying it up at 60-60. However, the energy wasted on having to mount a comeback might have cost them down the stretch. 

"We just need to have a better start," Jamal Murray said afterward. "Our effort is great... But being down [double digits early], to me, is the game. If we could just have a better start, I think we win that game, and that goes for most of the games we've played." 

The Nuggets' slow starts can, in large part, be credited to the inconsistent production from Denver's role players. 

In games where the Nuggets' depth is rolling, they can compete with anybody. However, when everyone aside from Murray and Nikola Jokic takes the night off against a loaded team like the Rockets, wins will always be hard to come by. 

Murray and Jokic did their thing, though. 

Murray's 38-point outburst fueled Denver's comeback attempt. He shot 14-for-23 from the field and 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. He's averaging a team-high 25.8 points per game. He's on the fringes of the NBA's top 10 in scoring and is putting together a compelling case for a second All-Star berth in as many years. 

It was Murray's fourth 30+ point game of the season and the third in the last five. The Nuggets are 2-2 in those games, which is why Jokic has urged the team to do a better job of helping their star point guard. 

Jokic notched a near triple-double in Murray's aid. He posted 25 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists, adding two blocks. He shot 11-for-21 from the field. 

The rest of Denver's starters combined for 15 points, shooting 5-for-19. 

It's still early, but the Nuggets' addition of veteran DeMar DeRozan as the only real means to help Jokic and Murray in the offseason is already proving to not be enough, as anticipated. 

The 37-year-old is averaging 10.3 points in 23.9 minutes per game off the bench. It's fine production for his age, but nowhere near sufficient to boost the Nuggets' championship aspirations. 

The Nuggets need to strike while the iron is hot, and their title window is still wide open, with Jokic being 31 and Murray 29. But it won't be ajar forever. The front office needs to match their star duo's ambition and production. 

Jokic is Jokic, always flirting with averaging a triple-double and a yearly MVP candidate. 

Murray might be playing even better than last year, shooting 49.3 percent from the field and a scorching 50.7 percent from three — adding 5.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and one steal per game. 

Beyond that, though — as Denver's roster is currently constructed — it's difficult to pinpoint where consistent support is coming from on a nightly basis.