The Denver Nuggets suffered a shocking 125-118 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, and head coach David Adelman made it clear he was not happy. 

According to Adelman, the loss largely happened because of two factors. 

“Energy, focus,” Adelman said after the game. “Really, really bad loss for us. And I give them credit, they played super fast, they played how they play. There's no excuses with this.” 

The Nuggets were on the second night of a back-to-back after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, 124-96, before facing a Grizzlies team without Ja Morant and 21 games below .500. Adelman said that he knew his team would be somewhat tired and lethargic but emphasized that, given the length of the game, there was plenty of time for the Nuggets to get themselves involved enough to win. 

Despite not falling behind by a great margin in the first half, Adelman also emphasized that Denver instilled confidence in the Grizzlies because of how the first two quarters played out. By half time, the game was tied at 60. 

“You know, even though it was tight at the half, I did not think we played well,” he added. 

Things began to get worse for the Nuggets in the third quarter as they allowed Memphis to hit 14 of its 22 total shots and seven of its 12 3-point attempts en route to a 39-point 12-minute slate. Adelman pointed to the Grizzlies’ confidence that was manufactured in the first half for their strong quarter and said that playing from behind is not a good place to be in the NBA. 

Denver outscored Memphis in the paint, 58-46 and in second chance points, 17-13 but fell short in fastbreak points, 29-21. Once again, Adelman reiterated his understanding of the back-to-back and how the schedule played out, but placed importance on controlling turnovers, rebounding and fastbreak points. 

The Nuggets fell short on the boards 48-46 while allowing 12 of them to come on the offensive end.  

“A lot of areas we had talked about this morning we had to shore up to win the game; we didn't do it,” Adelman said. 

Adelman also credited the play of Ty Jerome, who led the Grizzlies with 21 points. He also credited the rest of Memphis’ young core while calling it a “tough one” for the Nuggets at this part of the season, especially after playing well against Philadelphia. 

Adelman also does not see Memphis as a tanking team, but one that is playing hard and trying to win with young players trying to prove themselves. 

In the end, Adelman said Denver could never get over the hump. At 42-28 and in sixth place in the Western Conference, the Nuggets have 12 games left that feature multiple meetings with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.