The Nuggets ran out of gas in downtown Cleveland on Friday night.

Denver led by as many as 11 in the third quarter but lost to the Cavaliers, 113-108, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Here are three takeaways from Denver’s third loss in the last four games:

1. Tired legs make open shots a lot more difficult than they look. Denver was 16 of 35 (45.7%) from 3-point range through three quarters and went 1 for 12 in the final 12 minutes. After Jamal Murray scored 28 of his game-high 34 points in the first half, Cleveland ramped up the defensive intensity on Denver’s only healthy starter from opening night. Murray, who took 28 shots and added seven assists and six rebounds, did a nice job of finding the open man down the stretch, but Peyton Watson, who played more than 40 minutes, missed a series of quality looks in the fourth quarter. DaRon Holmes II, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Murray also missed makeable looks with the game still in the balance. Murray’s off-balance, desperation shot with Denver down six in the final 10 seconds was Denver’s only made 3 of the final period.

2. The Cavaliers are a matchup nightmare with Denver playing without its two true centers – Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas – for the first time. Cleveland started Evan Mobley, 6-foot-11, and Jarrett Allen, who plays bigger than his listed 6-foot-9 against Holmes, a 6-foot-9 rookie forward making his first career start at center, and 6-foot-7 Spencer Jones. Both of Cleveland’s bigs grabbed double-digit rebounds, while Jones and Jamal Murray led Denver with six rebounds apiece. The Cavaliers rode their size advantage to a 50-34 advantage in points in the paint and 23-14 edge in second-chance points. The size disparity was most obvious in the final minutes. Donovan Mitchell grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked out to Darius Garland, who hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with a couple of minutes left. A couple of possessions later, De’Andre Hunter created another second-chance opportunity that Mitchell finished with a dunk to make it a four-point game with 42 seconds left.

3. There’s a lot of lessons for Holmes to take from the first start of his young career. The rookie had to be patient after missing all of last season with a torn Achilles. There wasn’t much playing time for him before the rash of injuries created a starting spot. There appeared to be a little extra juice pumping through Holmes. After he found Spencer Jones for a corner 3 on Denver’s first possession, Holmes picked up a couple of fouls in the first 90 seconds and had to be replaced by Nnaji. Holmes, who finished 1 of 6 from the field, passed up a couple of shots in the final quarter. After the game, Nuggets coach David Adelman said he would’ve preferred Holmes keep shooting in the clutch. There’s also reason for increased confidence. Holmes showcased some real playmaking potential with six assists. The one shot Holmes made was a catch-and-shoot 3 during Denver’s big run to start the third quarter.

CAVALIERS 113, NUGGETS 108

What happened: Cleveland led by four after the first quarter and owned a 62-59 advantage at halftime. Denver took a nine-point lead to the fourth but ran out of gas in the fourth to drop to 23-11 on the season.

What went right: Denver played a clean game before energy became an issue. The Nuggets had just two turnovers in the first half and outscored the Cavaliers 8-2 in points off turnovers in the first half.

What went wrong: The Nuggets averaged less than a point per minute in the fourth quarter. After scoring 38 points in the third, Denver managed just 11 points in the fourth. After Nnaji hit a couple of free throws with just under 10 minutes left, the Nuggets scored four points in the next 9 minutes and 43 seconds.

Highlight of the night: Holmes flashed his playmaking ability in the final minutes of the second quarter. Holmes caught a pass in the middle of Cleveland’s zone, faced up and slipped a bounce pass to a cutting Spencer Jones for a dunk.

Up next: The road trip continues against Michael Porter Jr. and the Nets on Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn.