Without Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets are back in second place in the West

We thought it was Nuggets will sink when, one after another, Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas joined an already full squad, but last night David Adelman’s men won their sixth game in nine games. The result: here they are in 2nd place in the Western Conference when they could have won.

“I don’t know where the energy comes from. I think it just comes from the trust we have in ourselves and in each other.” reacts Aaron Gordon after victory in Dallas. “I think the coach gives us a lot of energy before matches. He knows not to do too much or too little.”

But how do we explain that the 2025/26 Nuggets can best handle the absence of their leader and unofficial MVP this first part of the season? “It’s a different team than in previous years. And that’s a credit to the guys on the floor and in this locker room. We have a lot of talent. Obviously, we miss the big guy a lot. But we’ll do everything we can until he comes back.”

The best team in the NBA on the road

With 17 wins and 7 losses, the Nuggets have the best road record in the entire NBA, and even back-to-back, the team finds the resources to win in New Orleans one night and then Dallas the next.

“It’s a resilient group. I’ve said this before, and I don’t want this to be a Disney movie, but these guys love each other and enjoy playing together.” points out David Adelman. « There is always fatigue in these kinds of games. I play a lot with Jamal, Tim (Hardaway Jr.) plays a lot more minutes than we planned. But these guys keep fighting, looking for solutions to win.”

Result: players are revealed as Peyton WatsonJamal Murray is proving he can be a leader, and the Nuggets will emerge from this period bigger and better without Nikola Jokic.

“I’m finding you can play in a lot of different ways if you need to. It’s not fair: ‘We’re losing offensive efficiency without him’. I’m thinking about the later: if we’re lucky enough to get into the playoffs and Nikola makes two quick mistakes, we’ve already seen a lot of different styles from us.” appreciates David Adelman. “It wasn’t the plan at the beginning of the season: Valanciunas was out, playing small ball with Peyton and Spencer, Zeke, Don… We have to find a different way to play every night. We’re in it, we’re living the season, moving forward… but these guys really played so many different styles. When we were champions, our five was a completely different unit, which struck me: the five was completely different. defensive group, that found a way to hold while Nikola Nikola and Jamal is not brought back into the game…”