DENVER — The Denver Nuggets’ recent schedule has slid a soapbox under coach David Adelman’s feet. The latest frustration came Wednesday — the night after a game in Philadelphia — in a rescheduled matchup in Memphis after the snow trapped them in Tennessee for a few days back in January. They lost to the woeful Grizzlies.
Adelman specifically pointed out the number of back-to-backs they have this year when they switch time zones, although that is related to playing home games in a time zone that features just one other team. He said that the Nuggets’ 26 national television games put them at the whims of those set dates, although the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves have more in the Western Conference. In his mind, the addition of a major television partner makes the schedule less flexible.
“I know coach (Steve) Kerr has talked about a number of games to make sure the basketball is quality, which — I can see that. I agree with that,” Adelman said Friday before his team beat the Toronto Raptors 121-115. “Or if you want a traditional 82, for the history of the game, statistically (it) is important, I think they have to find a way to expand the calendar a little bit, in my opinion. I’m saying that because of how I feel right now, because of what this has been like.”
Then he emphasized that he wasn’t viewing the Nuggets’ relative struggles through that lens.
“It’s been a very inconsistent year (in) every way,” Adelman said.
Based on how hard they pushed the Thunder in the second round last year and their offseason moves, the Nuggets came into the season as a popular pick to win the title if there was no repeat. But they’ve struggled in 2026, going just 20-18. They’ve been only 11-12 since Nikola Jokić, for so long the franchise’s fulcrum, came back from a month-long absence because of a knee injury. He has looked, by his standards, just OK.
That inconsistency also stands for the Nuggets’ injuries. Among Denver’s top six players in the rotation, only Jamal Murray has avoided missing significant time. Friday marked just the 16th time Denver’s starters have played together this year.
Regardless, their record since Jokić’s return is surprising. It has allowed the Lakers (45-25) to zoom past them, while Denver (43-28) battles with the Timberwolves (43-28) and Rockets (42-27) for the fourth through sixth seeds in the Western Conference.
Finishing sixth might not be the worst thing, since it would leave the Nuggets on the other side of the bracket from the Thunder, barring the San Antonio Spurs reeling in Oklahoma City at three games ahead of them. It would also help Denver avoid the Timberwolves, who have been troublesome for the team in the past.
That only matters if the Nuggets play the basketball they think they can. Their record since Jokić’s return is a bit deceiving since they have an adequate net rating of plus-3.8 points per 100 possessions over those games, not counting the Raptors game. They have lost five one-possession games in that span, plus another one in overtime. That in itself is weird, given Jokić’s presence usually guarantees superb clutch play.
Jokić has turned the ball over 4.5 times per game since his return. He averaged 3.5 in his first 32. Adelman said teams have been putting wings on Jokić more often than big men, with Jokić unable to bring the ball up the floor as often and forcing the Nuggets to try to get him the ball in tight spaces. To that point, the Raptors put All-Star forward Scottie Barnes on Jokić to start the game. There was some evidence of the Nuggets forcing the ball to Jokić, although he had just two turnovers.
If you’re looking for another reason for Jokić’s relative struggles, it could be that Friday was Aaron Gordon’s sixth game since Jokić came back. A hamstring injury has dogged him all year.
“The Aaron effect is real in isolations and post-ups, just because if you (double team Jokić, Gordon) basically absorbs the rotation,” Adelman said.
“I have to be careful with his minutes to make sure he’s finishing the game. Barnes and Aaron were born to play against each other. We can try to inflate the minutes, but I also have to get him to the end of the season.”
Gordon played 29 minutes against Toronto, the most he’s played among the six since his most recent return, save for an overtime game against the Lakers. You can see why a healthy Gordon is so important to the Nuggets. Jokić has chemistry with everyone, but it’s special with Gordon, who he throws deft touch passes to as the burly forward rolls into the paint.
Gordon is also a massive part of Denver’s defense. There aren’t many players who can make Barnes look like just another guy, but Gordon ceded no ground — in fact, the Raptor bounced off him and lost space on a drive attempt — in shutting him down on one possession in the first half. He swallowed Barnes up in the final minute after Jokić broke the game’s final of eight ties.
“It got to the end of the game, and it was like, ‘All right, it’s time to just have Aaron guard (Barnes),” said Adelman, who used a more switch-heavy defense for much of the night. “He can take it in the chest, even with someone as strong as Barnes.”
Before Friday’s game, Denver had the worst defensive rating, along with the Lakers, of any team not headed for vacation in mid-April. The hope is that Gordon makes a big difference, but there were still plenty of sleepy moments against the Raptors, especially when Jokić should have been more active in helping. The Raptors, not a good offensive team, shot 17-for-22 in the third quarter, scored 41 points and did not turn the ball over. Toronto didn’t miss a shot inside the arc.
“The goal is to do things more comfortably. … I just have extreme confidence in the group,” Adelman said. “I know it’s been up and down, believe me — I’m coaching the team. I go to bed every night and watch the film and am thinking the same things you’re thinking.”
But then he bounces back. With the best offensive player in the world available, and Murray playing as well as he has since the championship season, all of the inconsistency in the world doesn’t erase Denver’s contender status.
“With what we have in the locker room, there’s no reason for us not to believe,” Murray said. “Of course we’re confident.”