Nuggets Fall to Trail Blazers as Jokic Struggles with Rebounding

The Denver Nuggets lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 118-110 on Monday night at Ball Arena, dropping to a 3-3 record in the process. The defeat highlighted a persistent issue for the team: their star center, Nikola Jokic, is not yet operating at his usual level of dominance on the defensive glass.

Jokic finished the contest with 26 points, eight assists, and nine rebounds. However, the number that stands out in the box score is the disparity in board control. Portland center Donovan Clingan grabbed twice as many rebounds as Jokic, including nine offensive boards against Jokic’s eight defensive ones. The team’s overall rebounding differential was 53-37 in favor of the visitors.

This drop in performance marks a sharp decline from recent seasons. The Nuggets are currently ranked 26th in the league in defensive rebounding rate at 64.9%, a steep fall from their third-place ranking at 71.7% last year. Jokic personally is securing only 19.6% of available defensive rebounds, down from 27% last season. He has maintained a rate above 25% for the past five years.

The timeline of this season’s early struggles shows a team adjusting to a different rhythm. In six games, Denver has lost 2.3 points per 100 possessions in Jokic’s 222 minutes. His shooting percentage from the field stands at 47.2%, well below his career norm of 56.6% or better. From beyond the arc, he is shooting 22.6% on five attempts per game.

Coach David Adelman noted that the loss was fueled by hustle categories and collective effort issues. He observed that Portland sent guards to crash the boards, creating tips and 50-50 balls that Denver failed to win. Adelman acknowledged that while Clingan is a factor, many rebounds were a result of other players not winning their initial battles. He defended Jokic’s overall performance, noting that a 10-for-22 shooting night is a bad night for most superstars, but a normal one for Jokic.

Jokic attributed the rebounding issues to Clingan’s height and the team’s need to improve their boxing out. He stated that the struggle is a privilege and part of the process of getting better. Guard Jamal Murray emphasized that the team must help Jokic by being more aggressive on the boards, as they have become accustomed to him securing the vast majority of the glass against every opponent.

The Nuggets’ offensive rating with Jokic on the floor is 112.9, which is only 5.2 points better than when he is off the court. This is unusual, as every other starter on the roster currently has a better on-off differential at the offensive end. Murray leads the team in this metric with a 21.8 differential. The team is scheduled to continue its season as it works to find consistency in both offense and defense.

Adelman maintained that the six-game sample size is small for one of the most efficient players in league history. He expects the jump hooks and mid-range shots to start falling again. For now, the Nuggets are dealing with a start that lacks the smooth efficiency they are known for, relying on a roster that has not yet replicated its previous defensive rebounding standards.