Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman expressed disappointment with his team’s performance in the first half of Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, despite eventually securing a 141-135 overtime victory.
Denver entered the contest looking to recover from its season-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder but struggled badly during the opening two quarters.
The Nuggets fell behind by as many as 23 points and trailed by 16 at halftime, prompting boos from frustrated supporters at Ball Arena.
Adelman acknowledged that his players had failed to meet expectations early in the game but praised their determination to turn things around.
“I didn’t expect our team to come out the way they did,” Adelman told reporters. “It was a horrendous first half for us. But I liked the fight back.”
Denver responded with a much stronger performance after halftime, eventually forcing overtime before completing the comeback.
Nikola Jokic led the turnaround with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, including eight points in the extra period.
The Serbian center also reached another historic milestone, recording his 222nd combined regular-season and playoff triple-double to surpass Russell Westbrook for the most in NBA history.
It was Jokic’s 199th regular-season triple-double, moving him closer to Westbrook’s regular-season record of 209.
