David Adelman Admits Nuggets Were 'Embarrassing' Despite Win Over Bulls

After losing their preseason opener to the Utah Jazz, the Denver Nuggets have won two straight as they find their rhythm and build some momentum ahead of the regular season. However, just because they pulled out a win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night does not mean head coach David Adelman is pleased with his team's performance.

The Nuggets trailed by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, before an ensuing 24-7 run put them back on top within six minutes. Sure, they got the win in the end, but what caused them to fall behind in the first place? Adelman places blame on the team's transition defense, calling it "embarrassing" after the game.

"They needed conditioning," Adelman said about the starters. "They didn't get it in the first half because they didn't get back. Our transition defense was embarrassing. Until the fourth quarter, I thought the young guys were pretty good. Obviously, that's going to hurt us. And teams like that have hurt us over the years ... younger teams that play fast, advance the ball, and look for advantages."

This is a young, athletic Bulls team that certainly likes to get out in transition, and really, the Nuggets should be happy they played them in the preseason. They got outworked in transition in a meaningless game, and now they have the film to go back and see how they can improve. With how displeased Adelman is about their performance, they should be less likely to make the same mistake in the regular season.

The good and the bad

Fortunately, this was an overall good performance by the Nuggets. They scored 133 points on Chicago, and the starting lineup got their biggest workload of the preseason so far. Superstar center Nikola Jokic led the way with a 22-point triple-double, while as a team, the Nuggets shot 51% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc.

Nikola Jokić recorded a triple-double in 3 quarters of play in last night's @nuggets preseason win!

🃏 22 PTS
🃏 11 REB
🃏 10 AST pic.twitter.com/0ZvqPnV3yz
— NBA (@NBA) October 12, 2026

The Nuggets were clicking offensively, especially in the second half, and they should be excited about what they're capable of when their defense is on point as well.

"It'll be good film for them to watch," Adelman continued. "Our offense really clicked as the game went on ... the shot quality was great. Guys were making the right play for each other, and they end up in the plus, but the first half was unacceptable. And it wasn't about them shooting the ball well. I mean, they shot the ball really well, but it was just the stuff after a free throw, after a make. That kind of stuff is embarrassing to watch."

Regardless of Adelman's criticism after the win, this was a good performance by the Nuggets, and they can learn from the bad parts. The Nuggets now move on to face the L.A. Clippers on Wednesday and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, and we should see Denver's starters suit up for one of these two, while they get some rest for the other.

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