David Adelman Has Little Time to Fix Nuggets Problems

The Denver Nuggets do not have to treat one bad night like the end of their season, but they also do not have enough room in this series to act like Thursday’s loss was just a small bump.

That was the balance David Adelman tried to strike after the Nuggets fell 113-96 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3.

Denver entered the series as a 54-28 team with the higher seed and the best player on the floor, while Minnesota came in at 49-33 and has now taken control of the matchup with back-to-back wins.

The Nuggets have been through enough playoff swings to understand that a 2-1 deficit does not have to turn into a crisis, and Adelman leaned on that experience after a night when almost nothing came easily.

Denver’s Game 2 loss had already changed the feel of the series, but Thursday’s performance made the response in Game 4 feel much bigger because the Nuggets did not just lose, they looked uncomfortable for most of the night.

“It’s very similar to the Clipper series last year. We’ve been down 0-2, tied 2-2, we’ve been down 3-1. We’ve seen all these things. So the panic is not going to be there. But without the panic, there has to be responsibility to get better for Game 4.”

That last line is what matters most for Denver because the Nuggets can lean on what they have already survived, but they cannot use that experience as an excuse to ignore what went wrong.

Nikola Jokic finished the regular season averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists, yet Minnesota forced him into one of his least comfortable games of the series as he shot 7-for-26 from the field.

The issue for Denver was not just missed shots because the Nuggets looked rushed, crowded and disconnected for long stretches, finishing at 34.1 percent from the field while Minnesota controlled the tempo from the opening minutes.

After the Game 2 loss tightened the series, the Nuggets needed a cleaner start, but instead they spent most of the night trying to climb out of a game Minnesota had already grabbed.

Jamal Murray, who averaged 25.4 points and 7.1 assists during the regular season, never found a real rhythm against Jaden McDaniels and Minnesota’s pressure.

Murray went 5-for-17, missed all five of his threes and finished with 16 points, which left Jokic carrying too much of the offense while the Timberwolves loaded up around him and forced Denver’s supporting cast to make plays.

Denver also missed Aaron Gordon’s physicality, with his status already a major part of the Game 3 injury picture.

Without Gordon and Peyton Watson, the Nuggets had fewer defensive options, less force around the rim and not enough lineup flexibility when Minnesota started building momentum.

Minnesota deserves credit because this was not just a case of Denver playing poorly.

The Timberwolves have looked confident since before the series, and their depth has backed that up after they entered believing they could push Denver again.

For the Nuggets, Game 4 has to start with sharper spacing, quicker decisions and more resistance when Minnesota throws the first punch.

Adelman is right that panic will not help them, but responsibility has to show up fast because another game like this would put Denver in a much harder place.