A record-setting night was hardly cause for celebration for Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Jokic moved past Fat Lever atop the franchise’s career triple-double list with his 44th triple-double Tuesday, a day after Denver’s star center tied Lever’s mark. But sole ownership of the record came in a 125-115 loss to the Kings when Jokic’s 26 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists were diluted by 10 turnovers.

“Unacceptable,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “He can’t have 10 turnovers in a game.”

The Nuggets will start 2021 with a 1-3 record with two of those losses coming to the Kings. Most problematic for Malone was his team’s 20 turnovers, which led to 37 Kings points, and allowing Sacramento a 42-point second quarter.

“I would say good teams don’t beat themselves but that’d be giving us a compliment I don’t think we deserve right now,” Malone said. “We’re not a very good team at the moment.”

Michael Porter Jr. led Denver with 30 points, making 12 of 18 shots from the field, including a 4-of-7 mark from 3-point range, to go with 10 rebounds.

“There’s not many but you just try to take the positives, and you just got to move on,” Porter said.

Monte Morris replaced Jamal Murray, who missed the game with a right elbow contusion, and finished with 24 points for Denver.

De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 24 points, while Richaun Holmes and Marvin Bagley III added 20 and 18, respectively.

“I think we’re figuring things out still, but there’s no explanation for that many turnovers and not getting back,” Morris said. “We know they’ve got coast-to-coast drivers. We didn’t load up much to show those guys like Fox and all their guards’ bodies, so it was tough because the lane was wide open. We just got to fix our transition (defense) because it’s going to keep haunting us.”

The Nuggets led after the first quarter but trailed by 10 at halftime after the Kings seemingly scored at will in the second.

A 16-0 Nuggets run, fueled by a series of defensive stops, put the visitors back in front in the third quarter. But for the rest of the action, Denver’s defense didn’t put up much of a fight.

“To be kind and speak in general terms, I thought they hurt our defense whenever they had the basketball,” Malone said.

Denver led by 10 late in the third after a Porter 3-pointer, but Sacramento used an 8-0 spurt in the fourth quarter to regain the lead. The Nuggets fumbled away their chance at regaining the lead, as seven fourth-quarter turnovers led to 14 Sacramento points.

“We were not focused, I think,” Jokic said. “I don’t know. We are just probably trying too much.”

The Nuggets are scheduled to return to action against Phoenix on Friday at Denver’s Ball Arena. Jokic will look for his fourth triple-double in the first five games of the season against the Suns. He’s a rebound shy of starting the season with four straight triple-doubles after going for 24 points, nine boards and 10 assists in a loss to the Clippers. Those numbers and a record to his name would typically be cause for praise but the team’s record and Jokic’s uncharacteristic sloppy play made for a quiet celebration.

“He’s a great player,” Malone said. “He had another triple-double tonight, but 10 turnovers for him.”