Michael Malone has an idea how to avoid another night like Tuesday.

Despite Nikola Jokic setting an NBA record with the most points scored in a triple-double with 61 on Tuesday, the Nuggets dropped to 0-4 all time when Jokic scores 50 or more points.

“I just got to call a timeout when he gets to 49 and get him out of the game, I guess,” the Nuggets coach quipped prior to Wednesday’s game.

“I can’t really put my finger on that one.”

A look at Jokic’s 50-point performances reveal a couple of trends. Jamal Murray has been inactive for three of those games, and Denver’s bench has been outscored by 10 or more points all but once. Tuesday’s loss checked both boxes. Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 26 points more than doubled Denver’s entire bench, as the Timberwolves finished with a 40-14 advantage in points from reserves.

“Last night, obviously, you look at the bench points,” Malone said.

“Their bench, even without (Donte) DiVincenzo and Naz Reid, had a huge impact. Alexander-Walker was terrific. I thought he was their MVP last night.”

Prior to Tuesday’s game, when the Nuggets were without Murray and Michael Porter Jr., Jokic’s career high was a 56-point game in early December. The Nuggets lost to Washington with Murray and Aaron Gordon unavailable due to injuries. Denver’s bench was only outscored 24-21 in that game thanks to 18 points from Julian Strawther.

The Murray-less trend doesn’t include the third-highest scoring game of Jokic’s career, but the bench disparity applies. Denver was at full strength in Game 4 of the second-round series against Phoenix in 2023. Jokic scored 53 points, but Phoenix owned a 40-11 advantage in bench points.

Jokic’s first 50-point performance came back on Feb. 6, 2021. Monte Morris started in Murray’s place, and Tyrese Haliburton’s 23 points off the bench helped the Kings reserves to a 38-20 advantage.

“I don’t know what the deeper reasons to that are,” Malone said.

“Usually when a guy scores that many points – has 61 in a triple-double – you’d like that to be in a winning situation.”

Neither Murray’s availability nor Denver’s inconsistent scoring off the bench will be easy fixes. Denver is committed to Murray through the 2028-29 season thanks to the contract extension he signed prior to this season, and he’s continued to be nagged by a series of minor injuries. It’s also going to be a challenge to address the bench because Denver’s short on draft picks and strapped financially as long as Jokic, Murray, Porter and Gordon are Nuggets.

Denver could trade a player like Murray, Porter or Gordon to address the depth issues this offseason, but the best bet might be banking on a player like Strawther developing into the kind of microwave scorer off the bench the Nuggets have struggled to limit on Jokic’s best scoring nights.

If nothing else works, Malone’s first thought might just work fine. The Nuggets are 21-9 when Jokic scores between 40 and 49 points.

SPURS 113, NUGGETS 106

What happened: San Antonio led by 12 after the first quarter and took a 66-54 lead to halftime. Denver closed within three by the end of the third quarter and took a lead early in the fourth but dropped to 47-30.

What went right: Jalen Pickett posted the first double-double and triple-double of his career. It looked like he might finish an assist shy, but he found DeAndre Jordan for a dunk in the final 24 seconds for his 10th assist of the game.

What went wrong: Denver’s second unit essentially became the starting five, but the bench still struggled against the Spurs. San Antonio finished with a 47-23 advantage in bench points. Blake Wesley, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Malaki Branham scored 13 or more points off the Spurs’ bench, while Vlatko Cancar led the Nuggets with eight points.

Highlight of the night: Hunter Tyson’s hustle helped the Nuggets take a lead early in the fourth quarter. The second-year forward crashed the offensive glass on DeAndre Jordan’s second free throw, won a fight for the rebound and went back up for a layup that tied the game.

Up next: Denver heads to San Francisco for Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.