Nuggets resemble a lottery team without Nikola Jokic

Mind you, that disparity exists even in games when Jokic plays. The Nuggets outscored opponents by 98 points through 10 games when Jokic was on the floor. They were minus 40 in the minutes when he went to the bench. That startling number is why some have hailed Jokic as the most dominant overall player since the peak of LeBron James.

In Jokic's absence, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone wanted Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. to step up to the plate. Instead, the veteran Nuggets combined for 23 points at 10-of-27 from the field against Memphis, a few nights after going 16-of-34 against the Pelicans. After the loss to Memphis, Malone didn't mince words.  

"It's our inability to score the ball right now," Malone said of his team's struggles, via The Denver Post. "That's two games in a row. Obviously, a big part of that is sitting home in Denver, in Aaron (Gordon) and Nikola. I mentioned pregame, obviously the importance of Jamal and Michael, who struggled to make shots tonight. Not by a lack of effort. But shots just didn't go down."

The most worrying aspect for Denver is it dropped back-to-back games to injury-ravaged teams. First, it lost to a New Orleans team missing four starters and two key role players. Then, it lost to a Memphis team missing Ja Morant and Marcus Smart. 

Jokic could return for Tuesday's NBA Cup rematch against the Grizzlies, but his status is up in the air. The Serb and his wife are reportedly expecting their second child imminently.