The shorthanded Nets hit the road and played three strong quarters of basketball in Denver on Friday, but Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets unleashed an offensive avalanche in the third quarter that ultimately led to a 124-105 loss. Ben Simmons returned from a four-game absence against the Nuggets, and in the game’s opening minutes, he set the tone for Brooklyn in terms of pace and energy at both ends of the court. The 6-10 guard started 3-for-3 from the field in his first five minutes with three assists and two steals. The Nets started 5-for-5 from the field as a team, with each starter connecting on their first attempt. That offensive rhythm was sustained throughout the first quarter, as they scored 36 points on 65% shooting, knocked down five 3-pointers and got eight points, four rebounds and two steals from Simmons — good for a four-point lead entering the second quarter. One of the biggest issues for the Nets early — and throughout the night — was containing Jokić, who had 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting in his first 10 minutes on the court. They never figured him out. Brooklyn’s shooting cooled down to just 26.9% in the second quarter while Denver went 9-for-17 from inside the arc. Jokić had 20 points by halftime and the Nuggets had a 65-59 advantage. Brooklyn appeared to be outmatched in the third quarter, as the Nuggets opened the period on a 22-9 run to open up an 87-68. However, the Nets did respond with an 11-4 run to end the third quarter to trim their deficit to 15 points. They didn’t go out without a fight. Two-way forward Tosan Evbuomwan drained back-to-back threes early in the fourth quarter to cut Denver’s lead to nine, then minutes later, two-way guard Reece Beekman hit from deep to make it a five-point game with 8:01 left. The Nets were on a 24-7 extended run at that point. Each bucket came from their bench, and they did it with Simmons and Nic Claxton on the sideline. But out of a timeout, the Nuggets answered with back-to-back buckets to push their lead up to nine. The Nuggets pulled away from there. The Nets, losers of four straight, dropped to 13-25 with the loss. All five Brooklyn starters finished in double figures, led by Keon Johnson, who scored 22 points. Evbuomwan and Tyrese Martin added 10 and 19 points off the bench, respectively. Simmons finished with 10 points, four rebounds and seven assists after his strong start. The Nets tallied a season-best 27 fastbreak points in the loss, outscoring Denver 27-23 in the category. Noah Clowney went 7-for-7 at the free throw line, marking a career high for free throws made in a game. Jokić led Denver with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists. Russell Westbrook registered a triple-double of his own with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Brooklyn will return to action on Sunday against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center, its second matchup in a six-game West Coast swing.