It’s officially a slump now: Denver dealt fourth consecutive defeat

The struggling Nuggets fall to 9-5 with their latest loss; Houston’s Harden scores 22.

James Harden pulled up from the left wing, made one of his devastating 3-pointers and sent the Nuggets on their way to their fourth consecutive loss.

The Nuggets, now 9-5 after Tuesday night’s 109-99 loss to the Rockets at the Pepsi Center, didn’t have a four-game losing streak last season.

“Not making shots, not putting pressure on them, and when you’re taking the ball out of the net every possession, you allow them to set their defense,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

Harden scored 22 points and tallied 11 assists, including several of the no-look variety that kept the Nuggets’ defense off balance and paced the Rockets’ 55 percent shooting. Rockets rim-runner Clint Capela was a terror inside and finished with 24 points on 11of-15 shooting.

Monte Morris had a team-high 19 points off the bench, while Gary Harris and Jamal Murray scored 15 points each. Despite shooting just 6-of-14 from the field, Nikola Jokic flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Despite numerous mismatches in the post, he was never able to assert himself as a consistent offensive presence.

In the third quarter, when the Rockets built an 86-76 lead, Harden carved up Denver’s defenders for eight points and six assists as Harris tried to slow him.

“No one player in the NBA can guard him one-on-one,” Malone said of Harden. “It truly takes a team effort, and you have to give him different looks. If you give him a steady diet of one thing, he will get into a rhythm and pick you apart.”

Since Sunday’s loss to Milwau-