The Denver Nuggets welcomed in the best team in the NBA tonight and they looked every bit of it. The Nuggets hung with the Cleveland Cavaliers for about a quarter in a half but a 16-0 run in the second quarter and zero defense all night was more than enough to doom the Denver. Cleveland’s stars all played well, Donovan Mitchell in particular, and that overshadowed a Nikola Jokic triple double and good nights from Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Cavs win big, 149-135.

Mitchell got Cleveland going while the Nuggets ran their offense though Jokic and kept pace to start the game. The Cavs got the early lead but Denver answered back, they had the opportunity to take the lead but missed a couple easy opportunities for points. With seven minutes left in the quarter they trailed by three. Porter Jr. had a solid scoring run for Denver but the Nuggets started to get sloppy and Cleveland built their lead. MPJ had the answer with a full on Porter quarter, he sparked a 10-2 run to get Denver tied with three minutes to go. The bench closed out the first getting out in transition for dunks and free throws which got Denver the lead briefly before Mitchell buried back to back threes. After one Denver trailed 40-38.

The bench struggled to score to start the second until Julian Strawther got a couple baskets to start a run and take the lead. Murray carried the next few non-Jokic minutes to keep Denver in front but Mitchell had his whole bag working on the other end. Sam Merrill knocked down some threes to flip the game back in Cleveland’s favor. They went on a 16-0 run to take control. With three and a half minutes to go in the half the Cavs were up 71-55 and Michael Malone angrily took a timeout. Denver made it harder for Cleveland to score after that but couldn’t take advantage on the offensive end. Jokic did his best to keep things from getting worse and keep momentum on Denver’s side down the stretch but Mitchell continued to keep the Nuggets from gaining any ground. At half they trailed 80-65.

The Nuggets were more aggressive to start the third quarter but got a lot of fouls called on them and made little headway on Cleveland’s lead. The Cavs were in the bonus with over nine minutes to play with Denver still trailing by a dozen. Mitchell got a weak foul call on Murray that resulted in three free throws and that seemed to ignite Jamal for a moment. Denver cut into the lead for a bit but sloppy ball handling and the inability to get anything resembling a stop prevented them from gaining any significant ground. Cleveland went on another run to push the lead back up to seventeen after some poor effort from the Nuggets. The Cavs kept hitting threes which fizzled out any momentum the Nuggets could build. At the end of the third quarter Jokic had a triple double but Denver trailed 116-101.

The bench group got some momentum to start the fourth. Murray led the effort but as was the story for most the night, Cleveland had an answer. This time it was Evan Mobley who was hot from outside and put the Cavs up by more than fifteen again. Murray was still fighting and doing what he could. He had a chance to pull Denver within eleven but missed a transition three and sure enough…Cleveland responded. The lead went back up to nineteen and Denver was starting to run out of time. Malone kept the starters on the court with under four minutes to go and they continued to score but also continued to not get any stops. Once the game was past the two minute mark and the Nuggets still trailed by sixteen Malone relented and emptied his bench. Nuggets lose 149(!!!)-135.

Absolutely no defense was played in this game

Dec 27, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) controls the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) guards in the first quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Once upon a time the Nuggets were a team that would more than welcome a track meet in their own building, but that’s not what this Nuggets team does and especially not against two guards like Mitchell and Darius Garland. Those two started the onslaught by shooting at will and then eventually what felt like everyone in a Cavs jersey was getting into the act (and also that one courtside fan in a Cavs leather jacket). They hit three after three and Denver just never adjusted. 149 points is ridiculous. That’s Paul Westhead level disinterest in defense. Tough look for Denver tonight.

It was a down swing on the Russ roller coaster

Frustrating night for Russell Westbrook who Malone went with as a starter with Aaron Gordon out. It wasn’t all bad. There was some big dunks, a couple of steals and some nice passes sure but, man, how many times did he brick that corner three? I didn’t love the choice to start him over Peyton Watson tonight. PWat ended up having a good game off the bench for Denver and his length could have helped in the starting lineup with Cleveland getting Dean Wade back. I understand the success they’ve had with Russ as a starter but that’s been more often with him filling in for Jamal and the Nuggets still bringing a lot of size to the lineup.