Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman described Saturday’s 127-126 defeat to the Orlando Magic as “a very frustrating loss” after his team squandered opportunities late in the fourth quarter. “Not a lot of free throws…they lived in our paint and then they lived at the line,” Adelman said, highlighting Orlando’s aggressive attack.
The Nuggets committed 17 turnovers, which Adelman identified as a major factor. “The turnovers obviously 17 for 27 again…that keeps teams in games and eventually, they have the ability to win them,” he explained.
Adelman criticized Denver’s fourth-quarter discipline. “It was the longest fourth quarter I’ve been a part of in a long time…we just have to do a better job of not fouling when they drive the ball to the basket,” he said. The Magic earned 15 free throws in the final period, allowing them to control the pace.
Transition mistakes also contributed to the Nuggets’ struggles. “Multiple times we get stops, we’re up 10, and we turn the ball over. We don’t get two points…I just thought we were lackadaisical with the ball in those situations,” Adelman noted.
The coach acknowledged the challenge of rotating bench players amid injuries. “I always believe that you’ve got to give people more than a few games to see if they can find some cohesion…Julian had a good night offensively, which is good to see,” he said. Adelman emphasized that all players on the roster have opportunities to contribute.
Adelman reflected on the difficulty of coaching through a tightly officiated fourth quarter. “You just have to keep playing…give them information they can use that’s consistent with what’s going on in the game,” he said. He added that Denver still had a chance to win at the end despite the officiating challenges.
The Nuggets fell to 22-9 after the loss, snapping their seven-game road winning streak. Nikola Jokic posted 34 points, 21 rebounds, and 12 assists, while Jamal Murray added 24 points, but Denver could not contain Orlando’s guards down the stretch.
Adelman remains focused on the remainder of the road trip. “Six games left on this trip…very unfortunate not to get the first one…we just have to play better, be more disciplined with our hands, and go from there,” he said.
