The Denver Nuggets were able to get back to their winning ways against the a healthy Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans after seeing their extensive winning streak come to an end the game prior, walking away with a nice 125-118 victory for their 11th on the season.
But that road victory for the Nuggets certainly wasn’t perfect. In a game without the services of Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon in the starting rotation, that’s to be expected, but a handful of glaring flaws beyond their absences are what prevented Denver from putting together a more controlling victory of double digits.
And perhaps the biggest of those shortcomings came from their turnover woes throughout the night––an eye-catching 20 giveaways came from the Nuggets for their most on the season, and combined for a bit of a sloppy performance offensively.
David Adelman Reacts to Nuggets’ Turnover Woes
After the game, Nuggets head coach David Adelman made sure to address those flaws within the turnover margin during his post-game presser, with a simple message to convey.
“The whole team as a collective, we have to take care of the ball better,” Adelman said.
“In a game on the road, having 20 mistakes is too many. Tonight, we find a way to win. We have to handle pressure better than we did at the end, but again, we find a way to win.”
Nov 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Peyton Watson had four turnovers despite his career-best night of 32 points. Jamal Murray had three, and Nikola Jokic had a whopping nine giveaways— making for his worst mark yet this season.
Of course, a win’s a win in the NBA. Not all of them are pretty, but every one of them counts.
However, that luck to pull out those victories when giving away consistent turnovers isn’t sustainable. Especially for a championship-caliber team like the Nuggets, limiting giveaways is crucial. Denver and their machine of an offense typically maintain that control, but their road contest in New Orleans wound up being a blip on the radar.
Adelman, though, despite the turnover issues, is still considerably proud of where his team sits just under 15 games into the season. Denver lands near the top of the Western Conference, have been a dominant top-five unit on both ends of the floor, have suffered multiple early injuries, and of course, have an elite MVP candidate in Nikola Jokic.
With that in mind, he’s satisfied with the early sample size.
“Winning; it’s so hard to win in this league, and to be where we’re at right now, going into Houston, going into the back-to-back,” Adelman said.
“If you told me before the season, ‘Hey, you’re going into this really tough back-to-back, late night in Houston, next night at home against Sacramento, hey, and you’re 11-3,’ I’d take it. So, we’re in a good spot.”
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