David Adelman on Close Denver Loss: “We Just Didn’t Have Enough at the End”

The Denver Nuggets walked away from Dallas on Wednesday night with a 131–130 loss to the Mavericks — a game that left acting head coach David Adelman both proud of his team’s late fight and frustrated with how it began.

“Honestly, we put ourselves behind the eight-ball early,” Adelman said postgame. “The energy just wasn’t there to start. I was throwing bodies out there, just trying to find a group with some juice.”

After trailing by double digits in the first half, the Nuggets exploded for 47 third-quarter points to tie the game entering the final frame, riding hot three-point shooting and selfless ball movement.

“We had 39 assists,” Adelman noted. “The shot-making’s been great because we’re finding the right looks. Jokic and Jamal made the right reads — they were seeing five guys guarding two at times.”

Despite the effort, the Nuggets fell just short after Cooper Flagg’s 33-point, nine-rebound, nine-assist performance powered Dallas to the finish line. “You have to give him credit,” Adelman said. “He made tough shots. Sometimes great players just make plays over the top of you.”

On the Final Possession

When asked about Nikola Jokic’s decision not to take the final contested shot, Adelman defended his star’s playmaking instincts.

“There were four defenders contesting a really tough look,” he said. “Our two best players made the right reads — Jamal found Nikola, then Nikola kicked to an open man. You can look back and wonder, but the shot was the right one.”

Injury Concerns

Forward Cam Johnson’s injury late in the game added a somber note. “It’s concerning,” Adelman admitted. “He’s been trending up for the last month, finding his rhythm with us. We’ll get imaging done, but it wasn’t a good sight to see.”

Adelman added that both Christian Braun and Reggie Jackson continue to make progress in rehab and could rejoin the team on the upcoming East Coast trip.

Looking Ahead

The Nuggets have been one of the league’s best back-to-back teams in recent years, but Adelman pointed out that slow starts are becoming a trend. “It’s the second time this season we’ve looked flat early — Atlanta was the first one,” he said. “We fought back again, but you can’t keep living that way.”

Despite the loss, Denver’s offense continued to sizzle from beyond the arc, led by Tim Hardaway Jr.’s seven threes and 23 points.

“It could have gone either way,” Adelman concluded. “Unfortunately, we just didn’t have one more bucket in us.”

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