Why Nuggets Shouldn’t Panic After Blowout vs Knicks

In the first night where the Denver Nuggets' starting lineup had been fully healthy since early November, it was far from an ideal showing against the New York Knicks in what would be a near-40-point blowout, 103-142, to make for a 25th loss on a regular season that looks even worse on their home floor in Ball Arena.

Nothing quite looked up to par on either end of the floor for the Nuggets, as it makes for their second game of the season in which they allowed 140 points or more from the opposing team, their sixth time this season scoring 103 points or less in a single game (2-4 in those games), and effectively makes for the worst home loss of Nikola Jokic's pro career.

However, despite all of the factors going against the Nuggets on Friday night, there's reason to believe that it's not quite time to hit the panic button in Mile High. And actually, it could be a much-needed wake-up call for Denver before getting into the home stretch of the regular season.

Why It's Not Time for the Nuggets to Panic

Sure, a near-40-point loss doesn't look great on paper, but it was the first game this starting five has played together in months––all against one of the best teams coming out of the Eastern Conference this season with a cohesive, healthy group that's had time to gel all season long.

Even on their home floor, that's a tough challenge to face right off the bat with a starting five that doesn't have experience with one another since November. To see this group at its full potential, there needs to be ample time for that chemistry to bind together, and those players freshly returning from injury could use extended time to get back to game speed.

Aaron Gordon in particular didn't look like himself against the Knicks, who had just three points in 21 minutes of action on 1-7 shooting from the field, but it's a result that's expected when factoring in that he hasn't played an NBA game since January.

The longer Gordon has to get back to his typical pre-injury form, and gets more time to work next to the rest of the starting five, the better and more cohesive the Nuggets will look as a result.

Mar 6, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) and New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) during the second quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The one factor the Nuggets do need to keep an eye on moving forward, however, is the status of Jamal Murray, who left in the first half of action with an ankle injury and would eventually not return.

It's an injury that comes with especially brutal timing, as the Nuggets had just gotten their starting five back completely healthy, but would need less than a half of play for that five-man lineup to be in jeopardy in the coming games.

The exact extent of Murray's injury remains to be seen, and how much time he may miss is up in the air. But so long as the absence isn't anything extreme, his return should help the Nuggets' lineup become steadier in due time, and hopefully build that necessary confidence around the roster before the postseason hits next month.