Nikola Jokic is 'Concerned' About Nuggets' Recent Struggles

The Denver Nuggets suffered their sixth defeat in nine games on Sunday with a devastating 11-point loss to the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors went into the game without Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, and Kristaps Porzingis, and still managed to take down Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and the Nuggets.

The most glaring concern in Sunday's loss was Denver's fourth-quarter performance, getting outscored by 11 in the final six minutes of action. The Nuggets have particularly struggled in the clutch this season, and it is certainly concerning the fans, but even Jokic admitted he is concerned about it.

"I mean, I'm definitely concerned because we are losing the games," Jokic said after Sunday's loss. "We are losing the games, and we are not creating open looks. That's something that we need to change, and hopefully we need to get better. I don't know what it is, but we need to figure it out."

Nuggets need to figure it out

These late-game struggles are concerning now, but in the postseason, they will be costly. With just 24 games left in the regular season, the Nuggets are running out of time to fix their issues. Of course, injuries play a factor, as they are still without Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, but this has been a season-long trend for them, regardless of who is in and out of the lineup.

Jokic also talked about how it is hard for the team to find a rhythm while players are constantly shifting in and out of the lineup due to injuries.

"It's hard, just because we've had a lot of injuries," Jokic said. "It seems like the whole season, after like 15 to 20 games, it feels like everyone was injured a little bit. It's been the whole season, like trying to get guys back and then try to find the rhythm at the same time. But I think we did a good, decent job getting the guys back and them feeling good about themselves."

The Nuggets have to hope they are healthy for the playoffs, because if this continues, their streak of second-round exits will likely extend to a third straight year.

Nuggets w/o Nikola Jokic:
Clutch games 8-2
Non-clutch games 2-4

Nuggets w/ Jokic:
Clutch games 6-13
Non-clutch games 20-3 (including Miami game that was tied when he got hurt)

Unusually poor 4Q execution. But also only *2* uncompetitive losses when their star player is healthy.
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) February 23, 2026

The Nuggets are just 6-13 in clutch games when Jokic is healthy, which is a very unusual trend for this team. Typically, the two-man game between Jokic and Murray is enough to dominate in the clutch and carry Denver in vital moments, but it has not been the same this season, because it is their defense that has been torn apart.

The Nuggets have the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA in the clutch this season. Through 29 clutch games, they are 14-15, and their defense has been the major issue.

It is worth going back to the first 11 games of the season, though, because that was the only stretch where the Nuggets were fully healthy. In those 11 games, the Nuggets were just 0-2 in clutch games, but 9-0 in every other instance. The Nuggets have been dominant this season, but poor clutch performances are what could ultimately haunt them.

Head coach David Adelman and his staff must figure out how to fix these clutch-time lapses, although it could be as simple as getting everyone healthy and back on the court.