Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman acknowledged his team “got what [they] deserved” following a 117-83 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night at Intuit Dome.
After a pair of competitive games in Denver, the Nuggets were overwhelmed on both ends as the Clippers seized a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.
Adelman pointed to the Clippers’ ball movement and shot-making as the tipping point, noting that James Harden’s early pull-up threes “got them going,” which was followed by strong contributions across the lineup.
“So bottom line is this was not good enough. This was not our standard in any way — not just the physicality, but the mental part of it too,” he said.
The Nuggets were outscored 23-2 during a stretch between the first and second quarters, prompting Adelman to say, “We got hesitant… now you’re searching for different coverages, and when you’re searching, that’s not a good thing.”
Nikola Jokic recorded his second triple-double of the series with 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Denver’s defensive breakdowns and lack of physicality.
Jamal Murray also finished with 23 points, but the Nuggets shot just 39.8% from the field and gave up 14 made threes to Los Angeles.
Adelman emphasized that his team didn’t match the Clippers’ physical intensity, explaining, “They screened us all over the floor… they pushed us off our spots, and we didn’t respond well.”
The Nuggets coach also addressed his late-game rotation decisions, revealing that both Russell Westbrook and Aaron Gordon were pulled as a precaution with Game 4 set for Saturday afternoon.
Westbrook was sidelined in the second half with hip discomfort, and Adelman said the team would assess his condition before the next matchup.
The loss exposed Denver’s continuing struggles defending the perimeter, even against a Clippers team that doesn’t heavily rely on volume three-point shooting.
Adelman said poor rotations and delayed rim protection contributed to easy baskets for Ivica Zubac, who benefitted from Denver’s overcommitment on the perimeter.
He admitted that adjustments “were not well done” and said the team must rediscover the consistency and patience it showed earlier in the series.
Despite the blowout, Adelman remained focused on the opportunity ahead: “You can come back Saturday and you can right a lot of wrongs… this was not our standard in any way.”
Kawhi Leonard paced the Clippers with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Harden and Norman Powell each added 20 points in a dominant effort at the franchise’s new arena.
Both teams emptied their benches in the fourth quarter with the result well out of reach.
Game 4 will be played Saturday at Intuit Dome, with Denver needing a win to avoid falling into a 3-1 series deficit before the series shifts back to Ball Arena.
