Coach Adelman points to fatigue from a grueling road trip as the reason behind the Nuggets' fourth-quarter collapse against the Hawks.
The Denver Nuggets dropped their first home game since Christmas on Friday night, falling to the Atlanta Hawks 110-87 at Ball Arena, and head coach David Adelman didn't mince words about what went wrong for his short-handed squad.
After watching his team get outscored 36-12 in the fourth quarter, Adelman gave a simple but honest explanation for the collapse, saying "I saw a really, really tired group," according to The Denver Post.
"That's going to happen in the NBA, (coming back) from a seven-game road trip. They gave it everything they had in the third quarter to get back into it. But it does happen in the NBA. We know that. No excuses, 'Blah, blah, blah,' but it does happen."
Injuries Take Their Toll
The loss dropped the Nuggets to 25-13 on the season while the Hawks improved to 19-21, and it's easy to see why Denver ran out of gas down the stretch.
The team has played the last few games without their superstar center Nikola Jokic, who has been sidelined since December 29th with a hyperextended left knee and bone bruise, and they were also missing backup center Jonas Valanciunas, guard Jamal Murray (illness and ankle), and forward Cam Johnson (knee).
The team trotted out an unlikely starting lineup earlier in the trip of Hunter Tyson, Peyton Watson, DaRon Holmes II, Christian Braun, and Jalen Pickett, and while they hung tough for three quarters, the exhaustion from their grueling seven-game road trip finally caught up with them.
Watson led the Nuggets with 25 points and 11 rebounds over 34 minutes, shooting 9 of 19 from the floor, but that wasn't enough to overcome 19 turnovers that led to 18 Hawks points.
Watson acknowledged that the makeshift lineup contributed to the sloppy ball handling when asked if the turnovers were related to the lack of chemistry, responding "absolutely."
Road Trip Recap
Despite the ugly finish against Atlanta, the Nuggets actually had a pretty good showing on their lengthy East Coast road trip, going 3-4 over seven games.
They picked up impressive wins against top Eastern Conference teams like Boston and Philadelphia despite missing key players, which made Adelman proud of his team's fight and effort throughout the stretch.
The Hawks took advantage of Denver's tired legs late in the game, as Atlanta controlled the tempo and crashed the boards all night long.
The Nuggets shot well early on, hitting 61.1 percent from the field in the first quarter and staying competitive through three quarters, but they simply didn't have enough left in the tank when it mattered most.
What's Next for Denver
The Nuggets have a quick turnaround, as they'll host the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday at Ball Arena.
After that, they'll face the Washington Wizards on January 17th, the Charlotte Hornets on January 18th, and the Los Angeles Lakers on January 20th, giving them a chance to build some momentum at home.
The team is hoping to get Jokic back before the end of January, though they're being careful not to rush their three-time MVP back too soon.
With Aaron Gordon and Braun just returning from their own extended absences, the Nuggets are still working on getting their rotations and chemistry back on track.
For now, Adelman and his team will need to regroup quickly and find a way to stay afloat in the competitive Western Conference standings while waiting for their stars to get healthy.