The Denver Nuggets suffered a crushing 127-126 loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday night, blowing a 17-point lead to start their seven-game road trip with a poor performance.

Despite the loss, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic dropped 34 points, 21 rebounds, and 12 assists, shooting 11-22 from the field and 12-13 from the free-throw line. The story of the game, however, was the Magic scoring 43 fourth-quarter points to outscore the Nuggets by 15 in the second half to mount the comeback.

After the game, Jokic explained what led to Denver’s collapse.

“Just because two completely different halves,” Jokic said. “We didn’t play any defense in the second half. They were just laying the ball in, and on the [other] end, we had looks, we had shots, but just couldn’t make it. We had opportunity, but they won the game.”

Nuggets defense is a growing concern

The Nuggets entered Saturday’s game down three starters, with Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Christian Braun all sidelined. Of course, they have shown they can win no matter who is on the floor, as long as they have Jokic and Jamal Murray, but it stings when the structure of their defense is taken out of the game.

Jokic also talked about how the Magic continued to get into the paint with ease.

“Yeah, they were just attacking. They were just going by us or even overpowering us. It was not our best third or fourth quarter,” Jokic said.

Nikola Jokić despite the loss:

34 PTS, 21 REB, 12 AST, 1 STL pic.twitter.com/cmpbpnOmkO

— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) December 28, 2025A turnover issue?

On top of struggling on defense, the Nuggets turned the ball over 16 times, leading to 27 Magic points. For comparison, the Nuggets forced just six turnovers and had four points off of them.

“I think the first half we did a good job, and then when you start playing like that, it’s just they were aggressive ones,” Jokic continued. “They were attacking the passing lanes. They were handsy. They were denying us. So, you know, they were really good in the second half defensively.”

The Nuggets certainly had a rough time in the second half with Orlando’s tenacious defense, and injuries are not an excuse for them. Sure, they will be a much better team, especially defensively, when they have all of their starters back on the floor, but Saturday’s loss to the Magic was simply a bad one.

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