Denver is suffering backlash due to Nikola Jokic’s minutes restriction

« I won’t sleep tonight. » After losing the match against the Cavs, David Adelman talk about one of these defeats” which we remember at the end of the year “. The kind of meeting where his Nuggets seem to be in perfect control, before they get derailed and lose in the final moments.

« I told them in the locker room, ‘You know, these things happen. We’ve won games like this before and the other team is probably still wondering how they could have lost.’ But here we are, we found a way to do nothing in the last three minutes and we have to do better », asks the coachwhose team still held a three-possession advantage with 7 minutes remaining.

A match where her leader, Nikola Jokicfinished with his 19th triple-double of the season: 22 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. In 33 minutes, one minute less than the season average.

His pivot, returning from a lengthy knee injury, remains under a minutes restriction. With the exception of the 44-minute double-overtime game against the Knicks, the center hasn’t played more than 34 minutes since returning.

Jokić less disturbed than his coach

In addition to playing time, rotations were reviewed, which also factor in the returnees of Cam Johnson and Christian Brown. ” No one is comfortable. Completely disrupts your rhythm. It’s not just Nikola. I bring in Jonas (Valanciunas) for a short while; misses two free throws, but it’s ‘cold’. Play in short bursts. The other aspect is if I take Jamal (Murray) out, having Nikola start the quarters helps us but also segments his playing time », analyzed the coach.

His staff doesn’t think he’ll pay the consequences and feels like he’s playing normally. ” I don’t think it’s the biggest (big problem)… I don’t mind. It’s a rotation. It’s not something I think about. When I’m on the field, I’ll try to do my best “, says the Serb, sent to the bench between the 6th and 9th minutes of the fourth quarter.

This factor is by no means ” not the reason » for which the Nuggets lost, continues David Adelman. but ” just the way we’re playing right now has a weird rhythm to it. We are trying to find a new rotation. I know that once the All-Star break is over, we’ll revisit all of this and we can get back to a more normal rotation », aimed at the technician, whose team has lost four of its last five matches.

The latter adds: ” It’s an inexact science. You know, if we scored 120 points (editor’s note: one more than the Cavs), I’d be thrilled with the rotation. But we didn’t do that. We lost by two points. And I can’t stand it. That’s right, that’s all. » Before the “All-Star break” that will come in handy, the Nuggets welcome the Grizzlies on Wednesday in a matchup that, according to the coach, has everything ” trap ».