The Denver Nuggets suffered a blowout loss to the New York Knicks on Friday.
The Denver Nuggets are staring down the last stretch of the season and as they fight to keep their heads above water in the playoff race, they can't really afford any slip-ups through the end of the season.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened to the Nuggets in their 142-103 blowout loss to the New York Knicks on Friday.
The Nuggets were outclassed across the board by the Knicks. Outscored, out-rebounded, out-assisted, out-stole and out-blocked. Denver had a strong start to the beginning of the game and finished the first quarter with a lead, but it slipped away just as quickly as it came and the Knicks ruled the rest of the game.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) grabs the ball in the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Ball Arena. Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesLosing Their Spirit
There's a multitude of reasons that Friday's loss is worrying. Not only does it reflect negatively on the Nuggets' potential playoff position, it featured an uncharacteristic lack of fight from the Nuggets.
"I think this is the first time in a long time that we kind of quit. Not quit, but they were just better than us and they had better energy," Nikola Jokic said (via Nuggets). "Of course, Jamal getting hurt didn’t help us. Hopefully it’s just that kind of game."
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives past Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) and center Nikola Jokic (15) in the second half at Ball Arena. Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesJamal Murray departed the game early with an apparent ankle injury and had to be helped off the court. The Nuggets aren't sounding the alarm on Murray's injury status quite yet, but still, seeing one of your star players hobble off the court is tough for any team.
Battling Through Adversity
Still, the Nuggets have faced adversity before this season. Few teams have suffered as many injuries as the Nuggets have, yet they've stayed competitive throughout the season.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts on the bench during the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Ball Arena. Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesMissing Murray would certainly hurt, but the end of the season is a test of resilience and mental strength just as much as it's a test of talent.
Now more than ever, the Nuggets need to buckle down and compete through the end of the season and while the loss against the Knicks was an unfortunate setback, it can't be the cause of a downward trajectory for the Nuggets that could result in them falling further in the seeding or missing the playoffs entirely.
The Nuggets have proven throughout the trials of this season that they have the talent to outlast their difficulties but Jokic's concern over them "quitting" raises a new question: do they have the spirit.
They have less than 20 games to find out either way before the trials of the playoffs come next.