One number sums up the Nuggets’ worst defensive performance of the season

Ten nuggets for the number of rebounds Montrezl Harrell collected in 19 minutes of floor time in L.A.’s 132-111 win over Denver on Saturday.

1. It was bound to happen at some point. No NBA team gets through 82 games without getting blown out. The Nuggets were competitive in each of their first 30; 10 points was their largest margin of defeat coming into Saturday. They got blasted for the first time this season. Maybe #LANightLife played a part in their sluggish performance. Maybe missing three starters did as well. Whatever it was, Denver didn’t bring it.

2. Things accelerated from bad to worse when Nikola Jokic got tossed in the third quarter. At the 6:38 mark, Jokic ripped his mouth guard out and loudly protested a push out of bounds. Referee Brett Nansel didn’t bother assessing Jokic a customary first technical before booting him.

The Nuggets trailed by 11 at that point. They were down 17 at the end of the quarter. Jokic scored 19 before his early exit. Nansel’s decision to toss him without T’ing him up looked like a hasty decision. But Jokic didn’t do himself any favors by constantly complaining about calls throughout the first half.

3. “From the get go, we just weren’t here,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. The Nuggets played one of their worst defensive games of the season. The Clippers got to the rim at will and encountered little resistance inside. They shot 37 for 55 at the rim (67.3 percent), according to NBA.com. Los Angeles sliced through Denver like a piece of cheese.

On many possessions, the Nuggets didn’t put up a fight.

4. The Clippers scored 80 points in the paint. Eighty! “That is a number,” Malone said. Denver allowed too many straight line drives and didn’t corral misses when it had the chance to. The Clippers hauled in 13 offensive rebounds. The game was decided inside.

Montrezl Harrell was a thorn in the Nuggets’ side all afternoon. He scored 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds in 19 minutes. He had 10 points in the third quarter alone. He was dunking so violently, I thought there was a chance he’d tear the rim off the backboard.

5. It looked like Saturday might be an efficient outing from Jamal Murray. The third-year guard made three of his first four shots. He had nine points in the first quarter. But he cooled off quickly thereafter to finish 6 of 16 from the field.

Murray, who went 1 for 6 from 3, is shooting 29.3 percent from deep this season on nearly five attempts per game. He’s been one of the worst high-volume outside shooters in all of basketball. A season after canning 42.6 percent of wide open 3-point attempts (when the closest defender is 6+ feet away), Murray is shooting 31.5 percent on shots of that variety. He should probably cut the transition 3 out of his game entirely for now. It’s not been an effective weapon.

6. It’s easy to forget that Murray is still 21. He still makes his share of mental mistakes. The Nuggets were in position to take the final shot of the first half, but Murray pulled up with too much time remaining and missed, which allowed the Clippers to get the ball downcourt and capitalize on the gaffe with three free throws.

It was a costly five-point swing.

7. Danilo Gallinari seems to relish facing his old team. Gallinari is having an excellent season, and he was all business Saturday. He blew by Jokic and hammered one home for his first bucket of the game. He wound up with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

At 30 years old, he’s playing the best basketball of his career.

8. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is silky smooth. The rookie out of Kentucky gets by defenders with start-and-stop moves, and he’s a clever finisher around the rim.

The 6-foot-6 Gilgeous-Alexander has great size for a point guard. He had 14 points and six assists against Denver. He looks like he’s going to be a problem for years to come.

9. Malik Beasley wasn’t shy about hunting for his shot during garbage time. He shot the ball eight times in the fourth quarter. By the way: I’m not criticizing. Beasley has sacrificed a lot this season. Why not let ’em fly when the game’s already decided?

10. The Nuggets are 4-2 playing without three regular starters. That’s a respectable mark. They’ve held their own, but they need reinforcements soon. They face the Spurs, who’ve won seven of their last eight games, in a home-and-home Wednesday and Friday. Those won’t be easy.