David Adelman Explains Why Nuggets Win Over Blazers Was Huge

The Denver Nuggets claimed their highest-scoring outing of the 2025-26 season heading into the weekend against the Portland Trail Blazers as a result of their dominant 157-103 victory on the road, marking their first win following the All-Star break, done so in an extreme blowout fashion.

And for that reason––the Nuggets simply stamping down a blowout rather than a closer win––it's a factor that makes the victory that much more impactful for the team moving forward; and it's not just because of what they were able to do on the floor.

Nuggets head coach David Adelman explained postgame that because of the game being decided way earlier than usual, and Denver being able to rest their top guys down the stretch, that additional rest makes a blowout a bit more meaningful for those looking to get any added time off that they can.

"In the NBA, these are the most valuable wins because you can sit guys," Adelman said. "It's an extra 45 minutes to an hour of them off their feet. It's so valuable. And that's why the better teams, the great teams over the course of time, the dynasties that last forever are teams that really blow people out a lot."

"I don't think people look at that enough. Michael's Bulls teams, they put people away. And when you can do that, and you're a special team, it allows you to sit guys longer."

David Adelman Sees Added Value in Nuggets' Blowout Win

You can see the direct impact of that added rest atop the lineup by just by looking at the Nuggets' minutes totals throughout the night.

Nikola Jokic only had to play 29 minutes while still managing to drop 32 points on 66% shooting from the field. Jamal Murray played just 25 minutes on his behalf for a casual 25 points.

12 players ended up getting at least seven minutes or more on the night. In the rotation entirely, only one player had 30 minutes of playing time or more throughout the four quarters of action: recent two-way elevation Spencer Jones, who had 30 on the dot.

Especially for a Nuggets roster that's faced a significant chunk of injury woes throughout the season, and still dealing with those coming out of the All-Star break with absences like Peyton Watson and Aaron Gordon, any added time off for their top guys in the rotation can be of extreme benefit at this point in the year.

The fewer minutes that Jokic, Murray, and their other starters have to play during the regular season as the team can still stack wins on the board, the more they can play once it comes time for the playoffs, which, as we all know, is what wins championships.

Therefore, expect Adelman to keep his foot on the pedal while leading the Nuggets moving forward in the regular season, hoping to end up with more future games like their commanding win over Portland as opposed to their previous ugly loss against the LA Clippers.