David Adelman Reveals Key for Nuggets to Stop Kevin Durant

The Denver Nuggets will have their second matchup of the season against Houston Rockets' star Kevin Durant, one of the most potent, versatile scorers throughout the league's expansive history.

The task of stopping a talent like Durant on any given night is always a challenge, and more often than not, he's going to find his way to a handful of buckets throughout the night that'll make his impact felt offensively, and help carry a large chunk of the offensive load for the Rockets entirely.

But Nuggets head coach David Adelman will be trying his best to make the night a bit tougher for Durant as Denver faces off against Houston for the second time this season––and his key to making that happen centers on one pivotal priority on the defensive end: keeping attention on him at all times.

"I think with Kevin [Durant], it's just, you have to give him attention the whole time," Adelman said before facing the Rockets.

"He does such a good job getting to his spots. You have to make him work hard for what he's getting, because once he gets to his spot, as a coach, I can say, 'Hey, contest."... The guy's seven-feet tall, six-foot-11, whatever, shoots the ball above his head. There's no contest."

Keep Attention on Kevin Durant at All Times

Last time the Nuggets were tasked with defending the offensive machine that is Durant during their NBA Cup game vs. the Rockets, and 112-109 win in November, it wound up as one of his quietest games so far this season.

In 35 minutes, Durant had just 13 points on 5-15 shooting from the field; one of just four games this season in which he shot under 40% from the field in a single game, and his second-lowest scoring performance of the entire year.

So the Nuggets have proven capable of holding Durant in check, as shown in their recent sample size; an effort that was done without the services of Christian Braun or Aaron Gordon down the stretch–– something that'll have to happen once again for their second meeting with both names likely sidelined until the holidays.

Nov 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) dribbles the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) defends during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

For Adelman, continuing those strides defensively means means not taking an eye off Durant from start to finish of the matchup, while also not letting the other stars that surround him like Alperen Sengun or Amen Thompson get hot either.

"So we have to do a good job before he gets to that point, as best we can, of affecting him," Adelman continued. "And obviously, I think with [Alperen] Sengun, too. You can't let him play in space and rhythm. Because when he does that, it seems like everything happens at once. He scores, he distributes the ball. He brings more energy to the offensive rebounds."

"I think that's the challenge is just, can we do it from the get-go? Can they feel us throughout the game? It's a long game and they have a lot of talent around them, with [Amen] Thompson, et cetera. So, yeah, it's a challenge, man, but I think we have to do our best to make sure that they know we're very aware they're in the gym."

Holding Durant to a quiet night two times in a row is a feat much easier said than done, but maybe for Adelman, he has just the key needed to keep Denver's defensive plan successful against one of the most talented guys the league has ever seen on that side of the ball.

Keep Attention on Kevin Durant at All Times

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