Denver Nuggets interim coach David Adelman was disappointed and angry at the amount of contact allowed while the Los Angeles Clippers defended Nicola Jokic in Game 6 of the first round of playoff series on Thursday night.
The Clippers’ physical defense is the main reason Denver heads home and plays yet another Game 7.
Adelman and Jokic are sure the Nuggets will return to the brink and fight back in the season.
Adelman denounced the standard of generous host in Denver’s 111-105 defeat in Game 6. Jokic only shot two free throws and the Nuggets only went to the line nine times compared to the Clippers’ 15 free throws, but both teams were able to play physically.
“Nicola makes a lot of fouls,” Adelman said. “I don’t know what was going on tonight, but it was absolutely crazy to shoot the contact amount he came out twice. They had little things on him. Those little guys were allowed to do anything they wanted, so we’re really looking forward to being able to do the same thing as their best players.
The “Smalls” group defending the 6-foot-11 Jokic included Nicholas Batam, 6-foot-8. Batum and Ivica Zubac worked together to make an effective effort against Jokic. Jokic only scored five of his 25 points in the second half, but scored two points on nine from the field.
But even Adelman knew that officials would not decide another close game in the series between two teams that ended the regular season with the same record.
“This is what I was expecting, to be honest,” Adelman said. “It felt like a 7-game series. It’s an evenly matched series. There are a lot of people out there who can spend the night.”
That’s why we head to Game 7, as no one spent the night for the Nuggets in Game 6.
The close-out game has been a nightmare for the Nuggets since winning the franchise’s only championship two seasons ago. They lost four of the last five closeout opportunities, including two games in last year’s second round series against Minnesota.
The Nuggets took a 3-2 lead in that series, but ended up losing Game 7 at the home arena after colliding with 45 points in Game 6.
Denver lost four of his last five potential close-out games that beat the Lakers alone in the first round last season, but only after losing Game 4 with a 3-0 series lead.
“It’s going to be a different team,” said Jamal Murray, who had 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in Game 6. “It’s going to be a different type of series. I don’t think we need to play the game.
Jokic doesn’t see the Nuggets’ recent failure in the closeout as rotten with his team. After all, Jokic and Murray led a team that closed four opponents during the 2023 Championship Run.
“I’m going to approach it the same way,” Jokic said. “To me, every game is really important. I want to win, so I’m going to play it as a regular game.”
Nuggets only host Game 7. Because they’re getting the final three games and holding the tiebreaker over the Clippers. Adelman became Denver’s head coach for the final three games after a great shot from Michael Malone just 23 days ago, but the new coach already has a clear message for his team heading into the series finale.
“You won and won the last three games to not only leave the play-in, but also to win the home court in Game 7,” Adelman said. “That’s what I told them. You got this opportunity. … You play all year round for that. We got that opportunity.
Report by Associated Press.
Want to deliver great stories in your inbox? Create or log in to your Fox Sports account, follow the leagues, teams and players, and receive a personalized newsletter every day!
Get more from the National Basketball Association Get information about games, news and more according to your favorites
