Nuggets' David Adelman Speaks on Jokic Passing Up Floater in Game 2

The most consequential play of the Denver Nuggets' Game 2 loss vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves might've stemmed from the final 20 seconds of action.

The Nuggets, who had possession in the final seconds down by two points, 113-115, managed to find a way to get the ball in Nikola Jokic's hands to tie or take the lead at the end of the fourth quarter.

Jokic had the ball at the free-throw line with an ocean of space from the defense in front of him, leaving nearly everyone in the building guessing he was set to sink a signature high-arch, mid-range floater to tie things at 115 all.

But that's not what happened.

Instead, Jokic would dish the ball inside to a cutting Christian Braun, got the Nuggets' fourth-year wing getting fouled for two shots at the line, and led to a game-altering miss on the first free throw, and turned the tides for a Game 2 loss and a 1-1 series.

Gobert had Jokic SHOOK 😭

Jokic had a WIDE OPEN floater to tie the game and gave it up...

Braun missed a free throw pic.twitter.com/Y2Wfn6IP0t
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) April 21, 2026

It's a make-or-miss league. Moments like Braun's are bound to happen on a deep playoff run like the Nuggets aspired to have. Though the end of this one left fans, and even some Nuggets in the building, scratching their heads with one big question: why did Jokic pass up the floater?

Nuggets head coach David Adelman expressed after the game that in moments like that, it's up to the player to make the read on the play.

But from a coach's lens, that's still a shot you'd always love to see your three-time MVP take:

"I mean you always want him to shoot that shot, but he sees what he sees out there," Adelman said postgame. "He’s playing, and if he sees his teammate open, he’s going to make that play. I trust CB [Christian Braun] to make free throws. It rimmed out, that happens in the NBA. You’re going to have moments that you don’t want to remember."

"That’s a tough moment for CB after playing such a good game, he was all over the place in this game, had so much responsibility on both sides of the ball. So, I feel for CB, and I trust the best player in the world to make the decisions he makes... I know Nikola will have his own comment on that, but the decisions he makes in the game are always unselfish, they’re always for the right reasons."

What Nikola Jokic Had to Say

Even Jokic, who's known to be one of the NBA's most keen passers and playmakers and one to always make the right decisions, felt like he could've made a better choice, a more aggressive choice in those final moments:

"Yeah, I thought I had him. Ant [Anthony Edwards] kind of stepped up and jumped in the air. I thought I had a pass, but I should have taken that floater," Jokic said postgame.

"We had two free throws, so it wasn’t a bad ending, but I should have taken that floater."

Apr 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The margins are thin in the NBA playoffs, and they were especially so in the final moments of Game 2; a corner in which Denver initially forced themselves into by forfeiting a dominant 19-point lead in the first quarter and missing a huge opportunity because of it.

The Nuggets now find themselves without home-court advantage, traveling to Minnesota, where they'll be forced to claim at least one of those upcoming two games to even things up at 2-2 before they're put into an even deeper hole from where they now sit.

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