The Denver Nuggets are finding out the hard way that life on the road in the NBA often comes with some questionable whistles. Following a gritty 124-121 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, Nuggets acting head coach David Adelman didn't hold back, calling out a perceived officiating double standard that left three-time MVP Nikola Jokic out in the cold.
Adelman’s frustration boiled over when comparing the treatment of the league’s elite big men to its star guards. “The frustrating thing about these games is Cunningham shoots 11 free throws. Jamal shoots 13. Jokic shoots 3,” Adelman told reporters after the game. “It's like a totally different game. I'm trying to figure it out. So it's just two different basketball games going on with the bigs and the smalls.”
The numbers from the box score certainly highlight the disparity. While Jamal Murray was aggressive, leading Denver with 32 points and eight assists while going 12-of-13 from the charity stripe, Nikola Jokic struggled to get the same respect. The “Joker” finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists, but he only visited the free-throw line three times despite battling in the paint for 33 minutes.
On the other side, Cade Cunningham orchestrated a balanced Detroit Pistons attack, finishing with 29 points and 10 assists. Detroit never trailed in the contest, torching the Nuggets' defense early to build a massive 69-50 lead by halftime.
Denver mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback, outscoring the Pistons 41-31 in the final frame, but the hole was simply too deep. A late triple from Tobias Harris and clutch free-throw shooting in the closing seconds allowed Detroit to secure the win and a season sweep over the Nuggets.
For the Denver Nuggets (33-18), the loss is a tough pill to swallow as they continue to navigate a physical Western Conference. If they want to get back into the win column, they'll need to find a way to thrive even when the whistles aren't going their way.
