David Adelman Addresses Jokic's Officiating Struggles After Nuggets Fall to Thunder

The Denver Nuggets suffered a 121-111 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Ball Arena on Sunday night, and head coach David Adelman didn't shy away from addressing the ongoing frustration around how referees handle Nikola Jokic on the court.

It was the first meeting of the season between two of the top teams in the Western Conference, and the game didn't disappoint on the intensity front.

After the game, Adelman spoke candidly about officiating and the way big men like Jokic are called compared to smaller players, though he was careful not to use it as an excuse for the outcome.

"Night to night, big guys are officiated different than small guys. It's just the truth," Adelman said postgame. "Different people that see the game in a different way...that has nothing to do with the outcome tonight. They beat us. We weren't good enough. We weren't detailed enough."

The loss came in just Jokic's second game back after missing 16 games with a left knee bone bruise that sidelined him from late December through late January.

In his return against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, Jokic looked like he hadn't missed a beat, pouring in 31 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in only 25 minutes of action.

Sunday night told a different story. Jokic finished with 16 points on just nine shot attempts, a far cry from his dominant first game back.

On the season, the three-time MVP is still putting up incredible numbers with 29.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game while shooting 60.9 percent from the field.

His minutes are still being monitored as he works his way back to full strength.

The Thunder's physicality played a role in limiting Jokic, though the Nuggets center has never been one to complain about contact.

Adelman has been vocal this season about how his star gets treated by officials, including getting ejected earlier this year during a heated game against the Houston Rockets when he felt Jokic was being whistled unfairly.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the story for Oklahoma City, finishing with 34 points and a season-high 13 assists to go along with five rebounds.

The reigning MVP reminded everyone why he's the favorite to repeat, dissecting Denver's defense all night long and orchestrating an offense that never trailed in the contest.

The Nuggets dropped to 33-17, still holding the second seed but now six games back of Oklahoma City.

This was the first of four meetings this season between these Northwest Division rivals, and it marked their first regular season matchup since the Thunder eliminated Denver in Game 7 of last year's Western Conference semifinals on their way to winning the franchise's first NBA championship.

Both teams came into Sunday's game banged up.

The Nuggets were without Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Cameron Johnson (knee), while the Thunder played without Jalen Williams (hamstring), Alex Caruso (adductor), and Ajay Mitchell (abdomen).

The rematch is set for February 27 in Oklahoma City.

For now, Adelman and the Nuggets will have to regroup quickly.

They head to Detroit on Tuesday to face the Pistons before a difficult February stretch that includes the Western Conference's toughest schedule based on opponent winning percentage.

Jokic will continue ramping up his minutes as he gets back into game shape, and the Nuggets will hope to have more of their roster available as the All-Star break approaches.

But as Adelman put it on Sunday, there are no excuses, just lessons to learn and improvements to make.