The All-Star break apparently wasn’t long enough for the Nuggets.

Here are five takeaways from Denver’s 115-114 loss Thursday at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles:

1. One could tell Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray didn’t get much of a break. Denver’s All-Stars failed to score or create for others with their usual efficiency. Jokic and Murray led the Nuggets with 22 and 20 points, respectively, but lagged in other areas. Jokic committed six of Denver’s turnovers, while Murray shot 33% from the field and missed a free throw that likely would’ve sent the game to overtime with less than a second left. They both flirted with triple-doubles — Jokic had 17 rebounds and six assists, while Murray had eight of each — but the Nuggets needed more from their top two to start the final third of the season on the right foot.

2. Credit most of the other Nuggets for stepping up on a night when Murray and Jokic weren’t their typical selves. Bruce Brown dropped 19 points, six assists and five rebounds on just nine shots, while Cam Johnson and Julian Strawther scored 18 points apiece. Strawther went 6 of 10 from 3-point range to extend his hot streak on the other side of the break. The support from those three should’ve been enough to get the Nuggets a win.

3. The Clippers got Jokic a birthday present at the trade deadline. Jokic, who turned 31 on Thursday, no longer has to deal with Ivica Zubac when playing the Clippers. Zubac, a second-team All-Defense selection last season, was one of the few opponents who could hold up against Jokic’s physicality, but the Clippers shipped him to Indiana earlier this month. That left Brook Lopez as the Clippers’ starting center with rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser serving as his backup. It didn’t matter Thursday, but it will if the two teams meet in the playoffs for a second consecutive season. The Clippers were led by Bennedict Mathurin’s 38 points after he was part of the package the Pacers sent to Los Angeles.

4. Jokic’s case to be Most Valuable Player got a little help from afar earlier Thursday. Oklahoma City announced Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the narrow favorite to win a second consecutive MVP, will be reevaluated in a week while he deals with an abdominal strain. Gilgeous-Alexander has already missed seven games this season and will miss at least four more before potentially returning against the Nuggets on Feb. 27. Jokic has even less margin for error when it comes to missing games. If the two frontrunners play roughly the same number of games at the end of the season, there’s going to be another heated MVP debate.

5. It might’ve made sense to start Spencer Jones in the moment, but Denver appears to be playing the long game. After having his two-way contract officially converted to a standard deal for the rest of the season, Jones can only start six more games before his qualifying offer, a necessary starting point to make him a restricted free agent, would meet starter criteria, which would bump up his salary. The Nuggets could’ve used him against Kawhi Leonard to start the game, but money is going to be tight this summer. David Adelman started Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, Cam Johnson and Jokic in the first game out of the break. It’s not about who starts the game anyway. There’s no limit on how many games Jones can close.

CLIPPERS 115, NUGGETS 114

What happened: Denver trailed by one point after the first quarter but led 52-45 at halftime. The Clippers regained a one-point lead to start the fourth and held on thanks to a missed free throw by Jamal Murray in the final seconds.

What went right: The Nuggets held the Clippers to 25 and 20 points, respectively, in the first two quarters.

What went wrong: The Clippers scored 33 points in the third quarter and 37 more in the fourth.

Highlight of the night: Jamal Murray drove down the lane and threw down a one-handed dunk over Brook Lopez in the final 20 seconds to make it a two-point game.

Up next: The Nuggets quickly headed to Portland for Friday’s game against the Trail Blazers.