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Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman focused heavily on defensive breakdowns and second-chance points after a 119-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night at Ball Arena, as the Western Conference playoff series shifted momentum.
Adelman pointed directly to Minnesota’s ability to attack the paint in the second quarter, saying, “We just were not solid. I thought they attacked our feet. Randle in the pick and rolls was tough. They moved the ball side to side, put us in rotations.”
He credited Minnesota’s response after a strong Denver opening, adding, “We did a much better job in the second half. We changed matchups and cross matched a little bit, got out of the coverage we were in.”
The Nuggets coach admitted early defensive schemes failed, noting, “We tried to zone them. That did not go well either. So we eventually got to the cross match which was much better than the first two things we tried.”
Adelman emphasized Minnesota’s execution rather than just Denver’s mistakes, saying, “Give them credit. They attacked our feet. They got in the paint. Once they got in the paint, we were scrambling in rotations.”
A major statistical turning point came on the glass, where Minnesota dominated second-chance scoring. Adelman was direct in his assessment: “We lost this game on second chance points. Every time we had control of this game to get up a free throw rebound, a really soft crash from the corner, nobody touches anybody.”
He continued, “Twenty to three in a playoff game in a hard fought game like that where you work so hard to get a stop and then just give up second chance points, it kept them in the game.”
Despite Denver’s 13-game winning run coming into the matchup, Adelman stressed the importance of emotional balance and adjustments heading into Game 3. “You just learn from the next game. To me we go to Minnesota and it is only about game three,” he said.
He also defended late-game decision-making involving Nikola Jokic and Christian Braun, stating, “I trust the best player in the world to make the decisions he makes. He saw CB. That is the decision he made.”
On Jamal Murray’s late fatigue, Adelman noted workload concerns but did not overstate them: “Jamal has a ton of responsibility. I tried to get Aaron to bring it up a lot. That is a wear and tear thing for him as well.”
Looking ahead, Adelman made the Nuggets’ focus clear: “We can play better. We know that. You have to build off the positives and learn from the mistakes, especially the second chance points.”
