Denver Nuggets News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Feb 9, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Nikola Jokic Shrugs Off Nuggets' Recent Rough Patch

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Feb 10, 2026 5:00 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets' latest five-game stretch hasn't gone quite the way they would've hoped, having come up short in four of those five contests with a loss, and now sit just two and a half games back from the Play-In picture in the Western Conference.

It's almost the exact opposite result that would be expected with Nikola Jokic finally healthy from his knee injury, with Denver having won just one game with their three-time MVP back in the lineup, compared to their 9-6 record throughout the month of January when forced to be without him.

However, after the Nuggets' most recent loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on their own home floor, 117-119, Jokic didn't seem too phased about why Denver has been struggling as of late.

"I mean, we played probably the top three teams in the NBA, and probably two of those three games we were close." Jokic said. "And today [against the Cavaliers], we play another team who changed their team... have two really good players and a lot of shooters around them."

"So, are we happy with the losses? No. But I think we can build upon the games that we've played."

Nikola Jokic Sees Nuggets Building Upon Latest Losses

Jokic certainly isn't wrong in his assessment of the talent that the Nuggets have faced up against; it's been a tough gauntlet of teams to overcome since the three-time MVP officially made his way back from the hyperextended left knee.

Denver's gone from playing the reigning champion OKC Thunder, then went on the road to play the East's one-seeded Detroit Pistons, took the road again to play the two-seeded New York Knicks, and after taking care of business against the Chicago Bulls, would then be met by a red-hot Cavaliers team that now houses the dangerous backcourt duo of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell.

Rough patches are bound to happen for every team in the NBA, so the Nuggets certainly wouldn't be excluded. And if there were any time for that rough patch to happen throughout Denver's season, this exact pocket of games would be the most likely spot on the calendar for that to occur.

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The good news is, there's still a large handful of games to be played. And for Denver, they've got just one more on the schedule before the All-Star break officially arrives.

That'll provide the Nuggets not only with some much-needed time to take a deep breath before the home stretch, but also provide some added rest and recovery for a roster that's taken a real beating from start to finish of the season.

So for now, Jokic won't be hitting the panic button on just how the Nuggets can turn things around for the rest of the season. Denver's number-one-ranked remaining strength of schedule (.546) won't be making things much easier for their post-All-Star stretch. But if healthier and better refreshed for those outings, better results in the wins and losses column could be bound to follow.

This article first appeared on Denver Nuggets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: