If health is wealth, the Nuggets weren’t rich for very long.

A 142-103 loss to the Knicks on Friday at Ball Arena marked the first time Denver’s opening-night starting five — Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic — opened the game together since the Nov. 12 win over the Clippers. It also matched the worst home loss in franchise history. The last time the Nuggets lost by 39 in Denver was back when Michael Jordan and the Bulls came to town in 1998. Braun suffered a serious ankle sprain in Los Angeles, Denver’s 11^th game of the season. Friday was the 64^th, and the reunion didn’t last very long.

“This has just been insane,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “Every time we get somebody back, I feel like that game somebody else goes out. … It’s just the way it’s been.”

Murray backpedaled and stepped on Jokic’s foot, spraining his left ankle with 1:05 left in the second quarter. The Nuggets trailed by 11 when Murray was helped to the locker room by Jonas Valanciunas and Peyton Watson, who remained out with a hamstring injury.

“I think this is the first time in a long time that we kind of quit. Maybe not quit — they were just better than us and had better energy. Of course Jamal getting hurt, that didn’t help,” Jokic said.

“It was just that kind of game.”

Murray did not return, and Julian Strawther started the second half in Murray’s place.

“That’s not why we got our ass kicked,” Adelman said. “It was just because guys let go of it. They didn’t compete.”

Jokic finished with 38 points, eight rebounds and five assists, making 14 of 21 shots from the floor even though he went 1 for 7 from 3-point range. Murray (12), DaRon Holmes II (11) and Johnson (10) were the only other Nuggets to reach double figures. Johnson went 4 of 7 from the field, grabbed three rebounds and dished out five assists in just under 22 minutes of playing time. Spencer Jones also made his return to the rotation but had his playing time limited by foul trouble for much of the game. Denver’s coach said Holmes was the only player he really saw compete for most of the second half.

OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 34 points.

Gordon went 1 of 7 from the field and finished with three points, three rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes of playing time. He said he’s getting to the gym earlier in hopes of avoiding another hamstring injury.

“I got to stay on top of it, but I play without worry. When you’re worried about injury, that’s usually when it happens. I feel great. My body feels good. It’s just the timing and the pace of the game that needs to come back to me now, but I feel good,” Gordon said.

“I’m not here to make excuses. I played bad tonight. I know that affected us losing the game.”

Gordon strained his hamstring for the first time this season later in November, while Jokic and Johnson suffered bone bruises in their knees in December. Braun briefly made a return in early January but missed a few more weeks after realizing he wasn’t healthy enough to have his expected impact, and Gordon suffered another strained right hamstring against the Bucks on Jan. 23. Now, Murray’s availability for Monday’s game against the Thunder will be uncertain.

“They’re going to check on it tomorrow. It’s really sore,” Adelman said. “You guys all know Jamal. When he sprains his ankle, he usually comes back and plays.”

KNICKS 142, NUGGETS 103

What happened: New York erased a two-point deficit at the end of the first quarter to lead 65-52 at halftime. Denver fell behind by 25 to start the fourth and wasn’t competitive the rest of the way, falling to 39-25.

What went right: DaRon Holmes II got hot in garbage time and gave the Nuggets a fourth scorer in double figures, making 2 of 3 from 3-point range.

What went wrong: The Nuggets started 2 of 25 from 3-point range and finished 8 for 40. The Knicks shook off a 2-of-10 start and finished 16 for 34.

Highlight of the night: Aaron Gordon’s cutting dunk to open the scoring was as good as it got for Denver, but it didn’t compare to OG Anunoby’s steal and reverse dunk in the final seconds of the third quarter.

Up next: The Nuggets have a couple of days off before Monday’s highly anticipated return to Oklahoma City.