Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman credited his team’s effort but noted critical mistakes in a 109-107 defeat to the Detroit Pistons at Ball Arena on Tuesday night.
“Turnovers in the first half obviously… 20 points off those mistakes,” Adelman said, emphasizing how early errors set the tone despite a strong second-half rebound performance.
He praised his team’s fight on the boards. “We end up winning the battle, ended up tying them in second chance points, which no one does against that team,” he noted, highlighting Jonas Valanciunas’ impact with 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Adelman reflected on the challenge of Detroit’s defense. “On the defensive end, they lived in our paint throughout the night… they found a lot of easy ones,” he said, acknowledging the Pistons’ ability to collapse the paint and disrupt scoring.
He also addressed the difficulty of navigating Detroit’s switching defense. “They have the personnel to blow up as many screens as they do… a lot of times there are three, four guys switching and there really is no advantage gained,” Adelman explained.
Jamal Murray’s missed free throws in the final seconds were a focus. “I hope he shoots them again the next game… he’s one of the best free throw shooters I’ve ever seen at the line,” the coach said.
Adelman praised his players’ resilience despite fatigue and injuries. “It was a really physical game… they just made one more play than we did,” he said, referring to mistakes and late-game situational execution that contributed to the loss.
Peyton Watson and Bruce Brown received individual praise. “I thought Peyton did a decent job… his contests were incredible,” Adelman said. On Brown, he added, “He’s finishing really well… seven rebounds, good offensive uptick, and extremely aggressive defensively.”
The Nuggets stayed competitive despite missing key players. “Obviously with Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic, Cameron Johnson, and Christian Braun out, it’s tough… Valanciunas just shores up so many things for us,” Adelman noted, underlining the challenges of adjusting rotations.
Despite the narrow defeat, Adelman emphasized the team’s approach. “This group is just playing their ass off… even when things get ugly, they don’t hang their heads, they just keep coming, and that’s going to serve us well as we get healthier,” he said.
Both teams face Thursday night matchups, with Denver hosting the Brooklyn Nets and Detroit visiting Phoenix, leaving Adelman focused on recovery and improvement.
