Short-handed Nuggets blown out in fourth quarter, lose to Hawks

Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post on Jan 9, 2026

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DENVER — The short-handed Nuggets’ silver linings playbook: hang around, drill some timely 3-pointers and control the glass — even without a true center in the paint.

It worked for three quarters Friday night, but the Nuggets, playing at home for the first time since Christmas Day, simply didn’t have enough talent on the floor to hold off Atlanta. The Hawks used a fourth-quarter surge to run away with a 110-87 victory.

It was Atlanta’s first win in Denver since 2019.

An eight-point surge, sparked by 3-pointers by Tim Hardaway Jr. and Hunter Tyson, gave the Nuggets a 75-71 lead late in the third quarter, and the fans were blowing the lid off Ball Arena. But Onyeka Okongwu canned a 27-foot, 3-point, momentum-changing jumpshot to cut Denver’s lead to 75-74.

That was the beginning of the end. Atlanta outscored the Nuggets 36-12 in the final 12 minutes. Plus, the Nuggets’ scrappiness from earlier in the game evaporated, in part because they are a tired team after a long road trip.

The Nuggets trotted out the unlikely starting lineup of Hunter Tyson, Peyton Watson, DaRon Holmes II, Christian Braun and Jalen Pickett. Guard Jamal Murray, who racked up 33 assists in Denver’s two gutsy wins to end their East Coast road trip, was given the night off with an ankle injury.

Star center Nikola Jokic was in attendance, dressed nattily in a gray suit. But Jokic, out since Dec. 29 with a hyperextended knee and bone bruise, could only cheer from the bench. The Nuggets don’t want to rush him back, but a return before the end of January hasn’t been ruled out.

The Nuggets’ hot shooting kept them in the game early. They shot 61.1% (11 for 18) in the first quarter, including shooting 5 of 9 from behind the 3-point line. The highlight was Hardaway’s four-point play with 4 minutes, 25 seconds left in the quarter. Hardaway drained a falling-away 3-pointer, was fouled by Vit Krejci, and sank the free throw to give Denver an 18-17 lead.

Atlanta figured to blow out the road-weary Nuggets, but led just 30-28 after one quarter. The Hawks stretched their lead to 58-50 at the half, even though Denver dominated on the glass and gave up just one offensive rebound.

What killed Denver in the first half was sloppy ball handling. It turned the ball over 12 times, leading to 13 Atlanta points.

Watson led the Nuggets with 25 points and 11 rebounds over 34 minutes. He shot 9 of 19 from the floor.