Nuggets Lose Nail-Biter to Cavaliers' New Star Duo

The Denver Nuggets hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, and in James Harden's second game on his new team, he helped the Cavaliers pick up a huge road win. The Nuggets fell just short in a 119-117 loss, as Harden and Donovan Mitchell stole the show in Denver.

Mitchell finished the Cavaliers' win with a game-high 32 points and ten assists, including the game-winning free throws with just 0.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter after a costly foul call on Jamal Murray. The prior possession was all Harden, though, as he knocked down a contested step-back three-pointer to tie the game with just 32 seconds left.

💥 BANG. @JHarden13 | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/oCTEHWHxnm
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 10, 2026

This clutch performance from both Harden and Mitchell will likely be the new norm for the Cavaliers, as they are undoubtedly the most talented backcourt in the NBA. Unfortunately, the Nuggets were on the receiving end of the new star duo's strong performance on Monday night.

Nikola Jokic drops another triple-double

While it was in a losing effort, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic dropped yet another triple-double on Monday. Just one game after passing Oscar Robertson for second place on the all-time triple-double list, Jokic inches closer to the all-time leader, Russell Westbrook.

Jokic finished Monday's loss with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists on 6-12 shooting from the field and 10-12 from the free-throw line, although he was conceringly close to a bad quadruple-double with seven turnovers.

Feb 9, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Ball Arena. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Statistically, this was a strong performance from Jokic, but he struggled to truly make his mark in Monday's game. Outside of four clutch points in the final two minutes to help seal the deal for Denver and his ability to get to the free-throw line, Jokic could not get much going.

Nuggets' balanced offense

Jokic was Denver's leading scorer with 22 points, as the team had seven players in double-digit scoring, and four starters each dropping 17 or more. Christian Braun had his best game since returning from injury with 20 points on 4-8 shooting from beyond the arc, while Julian Strawther had another strong performance as a starter by contributing 20 points of his own.

Star point guard Jamal Murray finished with 17 points and 11 assists on 6-16 shooting from the field and 1-6 from three-point range. It is strange to see neither Jokic nor Murray dominate the scoring department, but as a team, the Nuggets had a respectable performance.

Still, whether they played well or not, Monday's game resulted in a loss. The Nuggets have now dropped four of their last five games, and things are trending in the wrong direction for Denver.

Luckily, the Nuggets have just one more game before the All-Star break, and the week off should give them a chance to rest up and get healthy.

Nikola Jokic drops another triple-double

Nuggets' balanced offense

More Denver Nuggets Content