Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman wasn’t happy with the officiating in Thursday’s Game 6 loss to the Clippers, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Adelman told reporters that the referees allowed L.A. to be too physical in defending star center Nikola Jokic, who played nearly 42 minutes but attempted just two free throws.
“Nikola gets fouled a lot,” Adelman said. “I’m not sure what was happening tonight, but for him to shoot two free throws with the amount of contact that was going on out there was absolutely crazy.”
The Clippers packed the lane against Denver in the 111-105 victory, which set up today’s series-deciding Game 7. Jokic shot just 2-of-9 in the second half, and Durando notes that he repeatedly passed up open three-pointers to drive into a crowd of defenders, even after the officials made it clear that he wouldn’t be rewarded with a foul call.
Adelman used his post-game media session to start working the refs for Game 7.
“(The Clippers) put smalls on him. Those smalls were allowed to do whatever they want,” he said. “So I’m really excited for Saturday, that we’re gonna be able to do the same thing with their best players. Because if that’s the physicality we’re allowed to play with, we’ll react to it, and we will go there in Game 7.”
There’s more from Denver:
- Jokic believes credit for his poor shooting night should go to Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who blocked three shots in Game 6, Durando adds. “He was making me kind of question my shots,” Jokic said. “He was always there. He was really good defensively. … He was moving his feet really good.”
- It’s better for the Nuggets if Adelman feels confident closing today’s game with Michael Porter Jr. instead of Russell Westbrook, Durando states in a separate story. Porter has been up and down throughout the series, with Durando pointing out that he was plus-34 in Game 5 and minus-24 in Game 6. Durando adds that Westbrook has been outstanding overall, but he has a history of making crucial mistakes, including a missed layup late in Thursday’s game.
- Denver didn’t react well when Clippers coach Tyronn Lue replaced Kris Dunn with Nicolas Batum for the start of the second half Thursday, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. Jamal Murray admits that having an extra shooter on the court disrupted the Nuggets’ defense. “I thought we were unorganized,” he said. “I think that’s the best way to put it. It was frustrating. Some of the turnovers were bad and they hurt us tonight. But I thought they played with a lot more desperation than we did. They came out and played with their backs against the wall. I thought the game came down to a lot of those 50-50 possessions. On Saturday, those are the possessions that we are going to have to take away.”