Three years removed from NBA championship glory, the summit feels distant again for Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
A first-round exit, sealed in six games by the Minnesota Timberwolves, has sent Denver into the offseason searching for answers about its place in a loaded Western Conference. For the first time in four years, the Nuggets will not play into May.
“We just lost in the first round, so I think we are far away,” Jokic said after posting 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in Thursday night’s 110-98 defeat.
At the heart of Denver’s struggles was Rudy Gobert. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year disrupted Jokic’s rhythm throughout the series, using his length, positioning and relentless motor to blunt the MVP’s impact and, at times, seize control of the matchup.
Jokic found some rhythm and spark in the final two games, but his sidekick, Jamal Murray, had a rough series. The first-time All-Star, who played in 75 games during the regular season, his most in eight years, was similarly smothered by Timberwolves defender Jaden McDaniels. Murray went just 4 for 17 from the floor with a game-worst minus-18 rating.
“When I get the looks that I need, they don’t go down,” Murray said. “So that’s the frustrating part, not showing up when my team needed me the most tonight. I feel like if I would’ve played a little bit better, we would’ve had that game.”
Missing forward Aaron Gordon to a calf injury for three of the six games and Peyton Watson for the entire series because of a hamstring strain did not help.
Cameron Johnson made a late push from 3-point range, scoring 27 points in Game 5, but there was not enough production beyond Jokic and Murray for the Nuggets to advance, even against a Timberwolves team that was short-handed in the backcourt.
Their pick-and-roll synergy was largely absent, too.
“They were missing a bunch of guys tonight, and they still won. So did we need them? Definitely, but if they are not here, we cannot think, ‘If, if, if, if,’” Jokic said.
After leading the league in offensive rating during the regular season and being held under 100 points only twice, the Nuggets failed to reach triple digits three times in the series against the Timberwolves.
“It’s a miss-or-make league. We couldn’t make any shots,” Jokic said. “I’m confident in my and Jamal’s two-man game.”
Jokic, who will enter his 12th season in the league in 2026-27, can sign another maximum contract extension this summer. He did not hesitate when asked about his interest in re-signing.
“I still want to be Nuggets forever,” he said.
Coach David Adelman does not have the same security after finishing his first full year on the job. Could changes be in the works in Denver?
“That’s not my decision,” Jokic said. “Definitely, if we were in Serbia, we would all be fired.”
But Jokic doubled down on his support of Adelman.
“It’s not his fault we couldn’t rebound. It’s not his fault we couldn’t catch the ball very well. There is nothing to blame David Adelman. It was all us,” Jokic said.
The Nuggets closed the regular season on a 12-game winning streak.
“Very disappointing end to the season. I’m the head coach. I take responsibility for things that didn’t go well here,” Adelman said.
