Things got extremely heated in the game between the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets on Saturday night, with tempers flaring on the Nuggets’ bench, specifically coach David Adelman.
The Nuggets were beaten convincingly 115-101, and head coach Adelman let his anger get the better of him in the fourth quarter, earning himself a hefty fine and ejection.
David Adelman Has Been Fined $35,000
The NBA released a statement: “Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman has been fined $35,000 for directing inappropriate language towards game officials and failing to leave the court promptly following his ejection.”
“The incident, for which Adelman received his second technical foul and was ejected, occurred with 8:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.”
Adelman, who had already received a technical foul in the first half, was arguing with the officials over some dicey calls on Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.
Nearly halfway through the fourth quarter, Jokic looked to have lost the ball due to some heavy contact, and HC Adelman berated the officials for not protecting the Serbian ace.
Adelman screamed, “You are f***ing terrible, man!” He wasn’t done there. The Nuggets coach followed the officials and had to be held back by his fellow coaches.
The Nuggets head coach was immediately dismissed from the action, but after the game’s conclusion, Adelman was left ‘confused’ by the decision to be ejected from the game.
“It seemed like [the official] just kept walking away farther and farther. I thought we would talk, and it turns out they told me I had to leave. So yeah, it was a tough night for us for sure.”
His ejection is the first of his career as an NBA head coach, having only taken over the team at the tail end of the 2024-25 NBA season.
He earned the full-time role this past offseason after being on the Nuggets staff since the 2017-18 season.
Despite this most recent blemish, Adelman has guided the Nuggets to the league’s best offensive team, averaging 124.7 points per game and posting the league’s best field-goal percentage (51.3).
The Nuggets sit third in the NBA Western Conference, boasting an impressive 20-7 record as we approach the holiday season.
Adelman has his key players firing on all cylinders, including former MVP Nikola Jokic, who is averaging 29.7 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game. Jamal Murray is contributing 24.8 points and 6.7 assists per game, while Aaron Gordon was averaging 18.8 points and 5.9 rebounds prior to getting injured.
Can Adelman use burning passion and desire to lead the Nuggets to the 2026 NBA Championship?
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