After a Game 4 defeat left Denver one loss from elimination, acting head coach David Adelman leans on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to force rhythm in Game 5 vs Minnesota.
The Denver Nuggets are staring elimination in the face, but acting head coach David Adelman says the answer still starts with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
That belief crystallized after a tough 112-96 Game 4 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves pushed Denver to a 3-1 series deficit. flipping the emotional script from early confidence to survival mode.. Speaking with the tone of a coach who’s seen these moments before. Adelman doubled down on the two stars he trusts most: “I really trust our two best players will find a rhythm.” His point wasn’t denial of what went wrong—it was a refusal to abandon what has carried the Nuggets through pressure-heavy playoff stretches.
For Denver, Game 4 contained a familiar pattern with a brutal outcome.. Murray scored 30 points and Jokic finished with 24 points. 15 rebounds. and nine assists. a stat line that suggests Denver’s offense still had life—even if it wasn’t enough.. The problem was that the life didn’t spread.. The Timberwolves controlled the margins. and late-game events turned into a distraction when Jokic’s night ended with a meaningless ejection that Denver cannot afford next time the stakes rise.
A Game 5 isn’t just a replay with a different scoreline; it’s a reset of how each team intends to play.. Minnesota’s defense has disrupted Denver’s spacing and forced uncomfortable shot selection, and the Nuggets have paid for it.. One number explains part of the frustration: a 22.0% showing from three-point range.. When perimeter shots don’t fall. the ceiling for a team relying on clean advantages shrinks fast—especially against an aggressive Wolves unit that can smother rhythm and make every possession feel contested.
Adelman’s bet is that Denver can rebuild rhythm around their best two-man engine.. Jokic and Murray are not merely scorers; they’re the orchestration.. When the pick-and-roll timing is right. when entry passes come on time. and when Murray’s reads match Jokic’s footwork. the offense stops feeling like a series of isolated efforts and starts looking like a plan.. That’s what Denver needs to recreate immediately in Game 5. even if Minnesota continues to show traps. hedges. and attention that denies easy catches.
There’s also the human layer to what Adelman is trying to protect.. Game 4 carried heat—Jokic. Julius Randle. and Jaden McDaniels were involved in a charged sequence that added tension to an already strained contest.. In the postseason, emotional moments can either sharpen focus or burn energy.. Denver’s task now is to keep the intensity without letting it derail structure. because structure is what tends to fail first when a team is down in a series.
This is where the margin becomes as important as the message.. Denver’s playoff run has hit a low point, and it didn’t happen because the stars stopped producing.. It happened because the supporting cast couldn’t consistently convert. and because offensive balance—already harder to find against Minnesota—became even harder after the shot-making dipped.. In practical terms, Denver can’t treat Game 5 as a night where “one unit” carries the load.. They need more than output; they need complementary actions that keep Minnesota honest. because Minnesota has shown it can capitalize on any hesitation.
Minnesota, for its part, has had to navigate its own uncertainty with injuries to Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo.. Even with those variables. the Wolves have continued to win the moments that matter most: disrupting Denver’s timing. forcing inefficient looks. and turning pressure into advantages.. Now the Nuggets return to Ball Arena needing one result and one result only—win or go home.. In that kind of scenario, coaching doesn’t become complicated; it becomes narrow.
Adelman’s narrowness is the point.. Don’t panic, don’t overcorrect, and don’t ask for something unrealistic to suddenly appear.. Give Jokic clean decision space.. Let Murray hunt for the rhythm that makes the rest of the offense flow.. If Denver gets those two things back. the Nuggets won’t just extend the series—they’ll remind everyone why they’ve been built for this kind of adversity.