Nuggets rebound from Portland loss, finish week with win in Mexico City

The Nuggets spent the first week of November showing both why they remain dangerous and why their start has been difficult to pin down

BY JOEY FREEBURG

Nov 7, 2026, 6:22 PM

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The Nuggets spent the first week of November showing both why they remain dangerous and why their start has been difficult to pin down.

A promising first half against Portland turned into another home loss. Two nights later, Denver overwhelmed Toronto with its best quarter of the week. Saturday brought a different assignment: protect a sizable lead against Indiana in Mexico City and leave with a winning week.

Denver accomplished that last task, beating the Pacers 114–102 to finish 2–1 for Nov. 1–7 and improve to 5–3 overall. The Nuggets followed Monday’s 118–110 loss to the Trail Blazers with a 128–109 victory over the Raptors and a successful trip south of the border.

The results offered progress without supplying a clean bill of health. Against Toronto, Denver paired explosive offense with a decisive defensive stretch. Against Indiana, it built a 23-point halftime advantage but allowed the Pacers to make the second half more competitive. Portland, meanwhile, provided a reminder that a strong start means little without a reliable finish.

Still, consecutive victories changed the mood heading into an upcoming road swing. Denver did not solve every problem, but it avoided letting one disappointing night define the week.

Nov. 2: Trail Blazers 118, Nuggets 110 – A lead slips away

For much of Monday’s game, the Nuggets appeared positioned to begin November with a home victory.

Denver led 31–19 after the first quarter and 66–58 at halftime. Portland did not take its first lead after the opening minutes until late in the third quarter, when Jrue Holiday’s layup put the visitors ahead 82–80. The Nuggets recovered a two-point advantage entering the fourth, but the final period belonged to the Trail Blazers.

Portland opened the quarter with a 9–2 run and outscored Denver 33–23 over the final 12 minutes. A late Jamal Murray 3-pointer trimmed the deficit to 110–107, only for Toumani Camara to answer from deep with 1:09 remaining. Denver’s comeback attempt stopped there.

Murray supplied 35 points, five rebounds and six assists. Nikola Jokić finished with 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, shooting 10-for-22 overall and 2-for-7 from 3-point range. Those were substantial contributions, but their combined 61 points were not enough to offset Portland’s stronger finish.

Deni Avdija led the Trail Blazers with 28 points, including nine in the fourth quarter. Damian Lillard scored 20, while Holiday delivered 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Portland also generated considerably more perimeter opportunities, attempting 41 3-pointers to Denver’s 26.

The loss dropped the Nuggets to 1–2 at home, with their lone Ball Arena victory having required an overtime comeback against New Orleans.

More troubling than the record was the sequence. Denver had established an early advantage and received a major scoring night from Murray. It still could not close. The issue wasn’t finding a way into the game, it was maintaining control once Portland began pushing back.

Nov. 4: Nuggets 128, Raptors 109 – One quarter changes everything

Wednesday offered a much better answer.

Toronto led 67–64 at halftime, leaving Denver facing another competitive home game. Then the Nuggets produced a 41–15 third quarter, turning a three-point deficit into a 23-point advantage. The fourth quarter became a matter of protecting what they had already earned.

Jokić was central to the turnaround. He finished with 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, recording his third triple-double of the season and the 201st of his regular-season career. He made 13 of 19 field-goal attempts, completed the triple-double through three quarters and rested for the entire fourth.

That efficiency mattered after Monday’s more difficult shooting night. Against Toronto, Jokić’s scoring and passing helped Denver create separation rather than simply remaining within reach.

The supporting production was just as encouraging. Six other Nuggets reached double figures, led by rookie Bryce Hopkins’ career-high 18 points off the bench. Hopkins made six of seven shots. Aaron Gordon added 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting, Murray contributed 14 points and seven assists, and Cam Johnson scored 12.

Denver accomplished that without DeMar DeRozan, who was unavailable because of back spasms.

The 19-point victory supplied more than an improved home record. It showed what the Nuggets can look like when production extends beyond their two primary offensive players. Murray did not need another 35-point night. Jokić did not need to carry the fourth quarter. Hopkins and Gordon helped make those demands unnecessary.

The defensive portion of the third quarter deserves equal billing. Scoring 41 points created the surge; allowing only 15 made it decisive.

Nov. 7: Nuggets 114, Pacers 102 – Enough control in Mexico City

Saturday’s victory was less explosive than Wednesday’s but valuable in its own way.

Playing at Arena CDMX, Denver led 27–19 after one quarter, then won the second 37–22 to take a 64–41 halftime advantage. The Nuggets had done enough early to put Indiana in pursuit for the remainder of the afternoon.

The Pacers responded with a 37–26 third quarter, cutting the margin to 12 entering the fourth. This time, however, Denver did not surrender the advantage. Both teams scored 24 in the final period, preserving the Nuggets’ 12-point win.

Jokić finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, while Johnson contributed 18 points. Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 23 points and five assists, and Larry Nance Jr. added 15.

Denver’s possession management helped distinguish this performance from Monday’s loss. The Nuggets committed only three turnovers, compared with Indiana’s 10, and received 43 points from their bench. They also held a 54–44 edge in points in the paint.
The second-half scoring was not as comfortable as the first-half margin suggested it might be. Nevertheless, Denver finished the assignment. After watching Portland take over a fourth quarter earlier in the week, the Nuggets kept Indiana from doing the same.

The Western outlook and the week ahead

At 5–3, Denver has a winning record and consecutive victories, but the coming schedule should provide a useful test of how much its consistency has improved. The Nuggets entered Saturday ninth in the West at 4–3; the Mexico City victory strengthened their record without resolving the broader questions raised by their uneven performances.

The next three games are all against Western Conference opponents: Houston on Monday, Nov. 9; Memphis on Wednesday, Nov. 11; and New Orleans on Saturday, Nov. 14. All three are on the road. Scheduled tipoffs are 6:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 5 p.m. Mountain time, respectively.

Houston and Memphis will offer fresh measuring sticks. New Orleans presents a familiar opponent and another opportunity to turn early-season improvement into a conference victory.

The priority is straightforward: bring Wednesday’s balance and Saturday’s possession discipline into the next week, while leaving Monday’s late-game slide behind. Denver has demonstrated that it can win in different ways. Now it needs to make those winning stretches last longer.