A little extra rest over the All-Star break will be needed after a game like Monday’s against the Cavaliers.

“A really tough loss,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said after Cleveland’s 119-117 win on the Nuggets’ home court.

“In the NBA, you have these. It sucks. I will not sleep tonight. The effort was there, but we just got to be able to close the game better.”

The Nuggets led 117-114 after Nikola Jokic’s driving, left-handed hook shot with 1:27 left on the clock. Jokic had a chance to make it a five-point game with 43 seconds left but committed the seventh and final turnover of his night on the way up.

“I tried to score, but I lost the ball in the spin,” Jokic said.

“It was not a pass.”

James Harden tied the game with an off-balance 3-pointer with 32 seconds left on the other end. Denver created a quality look for Tim Hardaway Jr. with nine seconds left, but the veteran couldn’t connect. Donovan Mitchell drew a foul on Jamal Murray in the final second and made the free throws that proved to be the difference after Jokic’s off-balance shot at the buzzer wasn’t close.

“I was just guarding,” Murray said. “Whatever they call is what they call.”

Cleveland’s new-look backcourt led the way to a regular-season sweep of the Nuggets. Mitchell finished with 32 points and 10 assists, while Harden added 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Three of Harden’s rebounds came on the offensive end, while Jarrett Allen grabbed four of his 13 rebounds on the offensive glass and added 22 points.

“It just seemed like we would get control of the game – up eight, up 10 – then we give up an offensive rebound and they hit a 3. They get to the line. There was just a myriad of things that kept them in the game. A lot of them were controllable,” Adelman said. “The second half, I thought it was the offensive rebounds by them that kept them alive. When you’re alive and you have two guys like those two players in Mitchell and Harden, you have a chance to win the game late.”

Jokic led the Nuggets with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Murray flirted with another triple-double, posting 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, while Julian Strawther (20), Christian Braun (20) and Cam Johnson (10) made sure all five of Denver’s starters ended up in double figures.

As frustrating as it might have been, the loss didn’t change Denver’s spot in the standings. At 34-20, Denver’s still in third but is only half a game ahead of the Rockets and Lakers. The Nuggets are only 2 1/2 games ahead of seventh-place Phoenix with one more game standing between them and a much-needed break.

“It’s going to be a race in the West to the end, and we got to have a good mindset,” Adelman said.

“Right now, Wednesday is what’s most important to me.”

CAVALIERS 119, NUGGETS 117

What happened: After leading by four after the first quarter, Denver led 59-54 at halftime. It remained a five-point game to start the fourth before Cleveland’s comeback.

What went right: The Nuggets finished with a 24-11 advantage in fast-break points and a 28-18 edge in bench points thanks to 12 points apiece from Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas.

What went wrong: The Cavaliers outscored the Nuggets, 50-40, in points in the paint and scored 33 and 32 points in the third and fourth quarters.

Highlight of the night: Nikola Jokic spun an outlet pass that sprung Cam Johnson for a fast-break dunk that put the Nuggets up 11 early in the second quarter.

Up next: The Nuggets host Memphis on Wednesday in their last game before the All-Star break.