EAST RUTHERFORD (NBA.com exclusive) --  The silver linings are already seeming pretty thin for the Nets.

Sure, undermanned New Jersey managed a one-point halftime lead against the unbeaten Nuggets. And, yes, the Nets reduced NBA leading scorer Carmelo Anthony to Clark Kent status through the first two quarters.

But ultimately, the Nets equaled the worst start in franchise history with an ugly 122-94 loss to Denver on Wednesday night at the Izod Center. And being 0-5 is their bottom line over any moral victories.

"We take something from every game, but we can't put it together," Nets forward Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "We have to find a way to put it together and we have to play a whole game. You play a half and it doesn't mean anything."

Denver outscored the Nets 44-26 in the third quarter to evaporate its halftime deficit. Ty Lawson led the way with 23 points and Anthony finished with 22 to lead six scorers in double-figures. The Nuggets are 5-0 for the first time since the 1985-86 season.

The Nets took the floor with 10 healthy players who had seen at least some flashes of hope and optimism fade before second-half misery. They have now been outscored 118-70 in their last two second halves.

Undoubtedly the loss of starters Devin Harris (strained right groin) and Yi Jianlian (sprained right knee) and reserves Tony Battie (sore right knee), Keyon Dooling (hip surgery) and Jarvis Hayes (strained left hamstring) has played a part in their late-game dismantling. But Nets coach Lawrence Frank says his team can reach a higher level.

"We have to raise our intensity, without even saying that they're going to raise theirs," Frank said. "Carmelo knows going in [to the second half] he's 1-for-11. Chauncey [Billups] senses the moment. As a veteran team, they understand different moments. So they wanted to hit us in the mouth early [in the third quarter] and they did.

"We can't control the injuries. This is going to be a long process. We just have to continue to be persistent. There are no easy answers."

"In the beginning of the third quarter, they went on a little run, which good teams are going to do," Douglas-Roberts added. "And we didn't respond."

Douglas-Roberts led the Nets with 19 points. Eduardo Najera scored 14 points in his first start since Jan. 15, 2008.

The Nets' 0-5 start is their worst in 13 seasons, when the 1996-97 team eventually yielded just 26 wins under the first-year tutelage of John Calipari. A tough weekend lies ahead with a road game against Philadelphia on Friday and a visit from Boston on Saturday.

"It's rough," center Brook Lopez said of the Nets' slow start. "It's never happened to me before.''

New Jersey's defense did a great job containing Anthony to start, holding the NBA's leading scorer to just six points on 1-of-11 shooting in the first half. But the All-Star forward found his stroke in the third quarter with 11 points, including a 3-pointer to give the Nuggets a 79-63 lead. His 20-footer early in the fourth quarter opened up a 96-77 lead for Denver as disappointed fans headed for the exits to catch what was left of Game 6 of the World Series.

"He's really fun to watch," Frank said of Anthony. "I don't think he's too fun to play against, but he's really fun to watch."

Anthony entered the game with a pair of 40-plus point performances under his belt, but gave early notice that earning his first scoring title was not nearly as motivating as proving Denver doubters wrong a season after the Nuggets made it to the Western Conference finals.

"People saying we didn't get better and that basically last year was a fluke for us, that's my motivation," said Anthony, the Western Conference Player of the Week. "When you're talking about the best team in the Western Conference, you don't mention us. When we look at ourselves, we look at ourselves as one of the elite teams in the NBA."