Oct 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets Head Coach David Adelman during the second quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Oct 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets Head Coach David Adelman during the second quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The Denver Nuggets logged a solid performance on Sunday night to secure a 133-128 victory over the Chicago Bulls. With their second consecutive win of the preseason, the Nuggets appear to have overcome their poor display in their first game against Utah. Despite this, head coach David Adelman wasn’t very satisfied with his players.
The Denver Nuggets had several standout performers on Sunday night. Aaron Gordon led the scoring charge with a 25-point outing, adding six rebounds on 3-4 shooting from three-point range to the winning effort. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic remained brilliant, posting a triple-double of 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in just 26 minutes.
As impressive as Denver’s offensive production was across the board, David Adelman was particularly incensed by the Nuggets’ defensive effort, especially the starters. When asked why he left the starters in for longer than usual during his postgame media availability, Adelman responded:
“Yeah, they need the conditioning because they didn’t get it in the first half. They didn’t get back. Our transition defense was embarrassing. Until the fourth quarter, I thought the young guys were pretty good.”
“Obviously, that’s going to hurt us,” he continued. “And teams like that have hurt us over the years. Not just tonight, but over the past [few] years. Younger teams have played fast, advanced the ball, and looked for advantages in 2-on-1s and 3-on-2s. It’ll be a good film for them to watch.”
“Offense, obviously clicked as the game went on. We talked about it before the game, but the shot quality was great. Guys are making the right plays for each other, and they end up in the plus. But the first half was unacceptable. They shot the ball really well. But it’s just the stuff after a free throw, after a make, that kind of stuff is embarrassing to watch.”
As constructed, the Denver Nuggets have the tools to be an elite offensive team. With a perennial MVP candidate in Nikola Jokic anchoring the offense with his playmaking versatility, Denver is bound to be a high-scoring team on a nightly basis. However, when it comes to defense, the Nuggets’ lack of effort on Sunday, despite having the personnel, was disheartening.
Even with players like Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, Christian Braun, and Alpha Diallo, to name a few, the Nuggets couldn’t compete with Chicago’s speed. With the Bulls capitalizing on turnovers and misses by scoring 16 fast-break points, including 14 off of turnovers, Adelman’s concerns are justified.
While Denver’s shortcomings in adapting to Chicago’s pace can be attributed to the Bulls being a younger team, the Nuggets’ lack of desire cannot be overlooked.
In some ways, one could argue that David Adelman is being overly critical of his team. But considering how such behaviors can form bad habits, ones that could harm the Nuggets’ title aspirations, Adelman’s wish to cull them seems justified.
Although the first half ended on a bad note, with the Bulls outscoring the Nuggets 41-30 in the second quarter, Denver turned things around early in the second half. On the bright side, this highlights Denver’s resilience. Still, given how this also hints at complacency within the rotation, the coaching staff would do well to address this before the season begins.