The Denver Nuggets were defeated 122-120 by the Orlando Magic on the second night of a back-to-back tonight.

“We blew a golden opportunity tonight,” head coach Michael Malone said after the game. “Once again, kudos to that team.” They were missing a lot of players, but the ones who did play worked hard. They played aggressively, and they never stopped competing, much like us last night.”

The Magic staged their own 18-point comeback tonight, less than a day after Denver’s own spectacular 18-point comeback against the Golden State Warriors, which featured a Nikola Jokic halfcourt buzzer beater. Denver led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter, but back-to-back wide open three-pointers caused by weak Nuggets defense cut the advantage to 12. From then, the Magic simply kept outworking Denver, collecting offensive boards, forcing turnovers with backcourt thefts, and playing physical defense that Denver couldn’t handle.

Tonight, Jamal Murray struggled terribly on both ends. His procedure on both ends of the floor was poor, and the outcomes were poor as well. Murray finished with 20 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, but he only shot 9-of-23 from the field and 0-6 from three, missing a potential game-tying two-pointer at the buzzer.

 “The goal was to try to get into the Jamal-Nikola two-man game and then get Nikola in the pocket,” Malone explained of Denver’s final play call. “They ended up flipping it, and when Jamal drove [by] Wagner, Jalen Suggs jumped back out…Jamal got it up in time, it went in and out, but we lost in the third quarter.”

Denver conceded 41 points in the third quarter, being outscored by ten points and enabling Orlando back into the game. Denver gave Orlando life, and the Magic capitalized. With heavy legs on the back-to-back, Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony in particular elevated the Magic in the second half with their effort, intensity, and execution, and the Nuggets battled to remain in front of the shifty guards.

Paolo Banchero went straight to work. With his ability to see the field at 6’10”, he had a triple-double early in the second half, and he completed the game with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, finishing 15-of-19 from the line by being highly aggressive at all times. Banchero never let the Nuggets off the hook defensively, and tonight the Nuggets guarded with their arms rather than their legs, snatching at the ball without actually moving to stop it. The Magic attempted 34 free shots as a team, making only 23 of them, but that was enough.

In 37 minutes, Nikola Jokic scored 29 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the field. Jokic sank 3-of-4 free throws, but he should have had the ball on every single possession to seal the win. Murray was struggling, while Jokic was dominating, dishing up eight assists while committing only two turnovers and making sound selections throughout the game. Jokic only had four rebounds on the night, but with the Magic grabbing 11 offensive rebounds, it made a difference.

Michael Porter Jr. scored 22 points on 9-of-14 efficient field shooting, including 4-of-6 three-point attempts. Porter only tried one shot in the final 18 minutes of the game, an open corner three created by Jokic with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

“I believe it’s something we’re all trying to master.” “I kept finding guys shots throughout [the game],” Porter said afterward. “Sometimes, we play different in the first quarter than we do in the fourth quarter or whatever that may be.”

 “It’s a tough balance when you have a lot of guys who are very capable, sometimes you go a long stretch without touching the ball,” Porter continued. For me, I learned that if I’m going to get some shot attempts up, they’re going to have to come in the flow of the game, and I’m going to have to be pretty aggressive at times.”

Porter was shooting the ball extremely well, and the Nuggets needed to notice that more consistently throughout the game. Jokic, Murray, and the coaching staff must have sensed it, especially after Murray struggled, which was natural on the second night of a back-to-back.

“I’m not sure. It’s tough, just cause we do got a lot guys who, game to game, it could be a different hot hand, and that’s a blessing and a curse sometimes,” Porter shared. “I’m not sure. Perhaps the solution is to alternate a handful of starts with the bench unit. I don’t really know the answer. I do feel like there are times during the game when Aaron doesn’t touch the ball for an extended period of time, or myself or Pope.”

The Nuggets have plenty of time to figure out this shot balance, but it’s difficult for starters to get all of their shots without staggering at least a few minutes. Denver went with a full bench unit tonight, and that group struggled. Perhaps it’s time for Denver to cut the rotation down to nine players and allow Porter and others an opportunity to explore his game a bit more.

We’ll see. Either way, a tough loss. Denver next plays on Sunday at home against the Detroit Pistons. If they can’t show up for that one, then there will be more questions.