David Adelman Praises Nuggets' Resilience After Seven-Game Road Trip

The Denver Nuggets were likely dreading their seven-game road trip, going nearly two weeks without playing a home game, and it was somehow worse than they could have imagined. Everything went downhill when three-time MVP Nikola Jokic suffered a hyperextension in his knee in just the second game of the road trip, but it managed to get even worse.

Backup center Jonas Valanciunas suffered a calf strain in the following game, making the Nuggets play the rest of the road trip with either of their top two centers, and it will be like that for the next couple of weeks as well.

Despite this, on top of Denver still dealing with various injuries to Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Jamal Murray, and Cam Johnson, the Nuggets finished their seven-game road trip with a 3-4 record, which head coach David Adelman sees as a win.

"I think this was an incredible road trip," Adelman said after their win against the Boston Celtics. "I think going 3-4, with all the things that happened — losing both your centers, getting guys back on minute restrictions, different people having to step in and play, beat Philly with nine players — yeah, I would say this road trip was very, very successful."

Nuggets had a "successful" road trip

While many would not view a 3-4 record in any capacity as "successful," it is hard to describe the Nuggets' seven-game road trip as anything else. After starting the road trip 1-4, the Nuggets closed it out with two straight hard-fought wins, and it makes complete sense for Adelman to be proud of his guys.

Of course, they wish the injury woes would stop as they head back home, but these past few games were more like a preview of what is to come for this Nuggets team.

"I think it's a defining moment for what we're going to be the next few weeks, if not the next three weeks," Adelman said. "You know, just what we have to do to win games, and I think it's gonna be different every night. It's going to be Jamal making the right play. It's going to be our defense stepping up in moments. Taking advantage of runs, scoring off your defense. And just keep taking the right shots for each other. That's key for us right now."

Zeke Nnaji held the Boston Celtics to 5/20 shooting when he was the nearest defender last night with FOUR stocks to boot.

Here are some of his best possessions: pic.twitter.com/JHsR4Ym6oz
— Swipa (@SwipaCam) January 8, 2026

The Nuggets showed that they are capable of competing with the NBA's best, regardless of injuries, and most of that credit goes to Adelman. It is easy to say that Jokic carries the Nuggets, but the past two games with him off the floor prove otherwise. The Nuggets have had some key bench players step up when needed most, and if they continue to do so, Denver should not have much trouble staying afloat without Jokic.

"I just thought the group through the whole trip, just their mentality has been so good," Adelman said. "...The majority of the time and the focus and the walkthroughs and the film sessions, everyone really just bought in... It's just really a cool team win against a [Celtics] team that's been really hot."

This win over the Celtics is exactly what this injury-ridden Nuggets team needed, and heading back to Denver after two straight wins should be huge for their momentum. The Nuggets now head to face the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at home.

Nuggets had a "successful" road trip

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