OAKLAND, Calif. — Nikola Jokic sank two free throws with 2:10 remaining in the second quarter Saturday night in Sacramento, his first points during a Nuggets opening half marred by turnovers in an eventual ugly loss to the short-handed Kings.

It was also another slow start for Denver’s young star since the calendar flipped to 2018. Jokic is averaging 3.3 first-half points and 10 total points over the Nuggets’ past three games. Is this a mini scoring slump as the 21-18 Nuggets near the midway point of the NBA regular-season grind? Or a sacrificial byproduct of Denver’s new-look starting lineup with Jokic pairing with center Mason Plumlee in the post?

Either way, Jokic said he will not change his approach as Denver prepares for its third meeting with defending champion Golden State Monday night at Oracle Arena.

“I’m not gonna try so hard to score, just because I think it’s not fair to my teammates,” Jokic said. “If I see two (defenders) coming to me, I’m going to pass the ball. And if I see the open guy standing right there, I’m gonna pass him the ball. I’m not going to force anything.”

Jokic is averaging 7.3 assists and 8.7 rebounds over that same three-game stretch, illustrating the well-rounded impact the third-year Serbian still has on the game. He’s also contributing on the defensive end, coach Michael Malone’s primary reason for the switch to the big starting lineup anchored inside by Plumlee. Denver is 5-3 since unveiling that group and ranks third in the NBA in defensive efficiency at 101.3 points allowed per 100 possessions over that span, even after slightly expanding the rotation in the past week.

Yet the change also shifts Jokic to power forward on offense, a position where he struggled mightily last season while playing alongside Jusuf Nurkic. Recently, Jokic has noticed smaller defenders “kind of want to dance around me, so I cannot have an easy catch.” He has sometimes drifted out to the perimeter, where he’s 2-of-9 from 3-point distance over the past three games. But Malone added Jokic sometimes avoids the tougher defensive matchup while playing with Plumlee.

Jokic took just three shots in the first half against the Kings and finished 3-of-10 for eight points in the 106-98 loss. That came one night after he began 1-of-8 against the Jazz while matched up with the bigger Derrick Favors, but scored six of his eight points during Denver’s decisive third quarter of a 99-91 victory. He went 1-for-2 in the first half against Phoenix, then scored 10 of his 14 points after the break as the Nuggets pulled away to a 134-111 win last week.

There are other reasons for Jokic’s recent scoring dip. Gary Harris exploded for 36 points against the Suns, the latest example of his blossoming offensive repertoire. Jamal Murray is developing into a consistent threat, following up a terrific December by averaging 19 points over his past three games. Trey Lyles has been a revelation off the bench, and a nice complement to Jokic as a versatile, skilled big man.

The stretch that perhaps most compares to Jokic’s current lull was at the beginning of the season, when he went 3-for-13 from the field in Denver’s first two games and did not score in the Nuggets’ home opener against the Kings. But he also racked up 21 rebounds and 14 assists during that stretch.

His response back then? “We’re getting wins.” It’s a similar situation in early January, with Denver entering Sunday sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference.

Jokic trusts “we’re gonna figure it out.” His coach agrees.