The Denver Nuggets dropped a 127-121 overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night at Paycom Center, and head coach David Adelman made it clear the margin came down to execution late.
“How would you describe the physicality of this game? What we expected,” Adelman said. “Both teams obviously know each other well from the seven-game series. Playing each other four times a year.”
“I didn’t think we met theirs in Denver. I thought we did tonight,” he added. “Unfortunately, we didn’t finish the game off.”
Denver generated quality perimeter looks, especially from the corners, but could not convert when it mattered.
“You create 20 corner threes and we just went cold in the second half,” Adelman said. “I believe we were three of 13 from the corners in the second half, which is great shots, but they didn’t fall tonight.”
The Nuggets also committed seven turnovers across the fourth quarter and overtime.
“You couple that with the seven turnovers in the fourth quarter and overtime combined, including two in transition when we had control of the game,” Adelman said. “You can’t start the second quarter and the fourth quarter the way we did.”
Oklahoma City opened both periods with 11-2 runs, forcing Denver to adjust rotations earlier than planned.
“I’m putting guys back in way too early,” Adelman said. “I think I wore our guys out trying to get control back into the game.”
The matchup turned emotional in the fourth when Lu Dort was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul against Nikola Jokic, leading to an altercation.
“I need to rewatch what happened with Dort,” Adelman said. “They said that the play looked malicious. I didn’t see it.”
“I think his frustration is sometimes because the game’s officiated differently out on the floor than it is near the basket,” he added of Jokic. “He shot five free throws. The closer you get to the basket, it seems like for a bigger guy it seems like it’s called a little bit different.”
Jokic finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists, while Jamal Murray scored 39.
“I think that’s the key to us late game right now is we’re going to have to understand that other guys are going to have to make the shot,” Adelman said. “They’re not allowing those two guys to operate in space, and I wouldn’t either.”
He referenced a late possession in regulation where Denver drew a third defender to Jokic and Murray.
“As Nikola semi-roll, the third man was there and now Cam is naked in the corner,” Adelman said. “I’m going to live with those shots with our guys. I trust them.”
In overtime, Denver went repeatedly to the post.
“You can use Nikola in so many ways,” Adelman said. “I just thought if you put him down there, he’s going to create open shots for other people.”
The Thunder, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 36 points, answered with timely contributions from role players.
“You give their role players credit,” Adelman said. “Those guys made huge shots at the end of the fourth. Give those veteran players a lot of credit, especially Caruso, the two threes that he made.”
Now 37-23, Denver has lost six recent games in which it failed to close.
“We keep working our way to the end of these games and we’re not finding ways to finish them,” Adelman said. “So that’s on me.”
