Nikola Jokic Assigns Clear Blame for Nuggets' First-Round Exit

Nikola Jokic refused to place blame on Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman after the team’s Game 6 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, which ended their latest playoff run in the first round.

While Jokic nearly achieved a triple-double in the loss, and teammate Cameron Johnson contributed 27 points, that wasn’t enough. The Joker finished with 28 points, 10 assists, and nine boards, and believed he and his teammates could have done several things much better.

“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’s all us,” Jokic told reporters.

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The rebounding disparity was clear, as the Timberwolves dominated the glass, finishing with 50 rebounds to the Nuggets’ 33. Along with that, Denver had nearly twice as many turnovers as the home team, which has now advanced without superstar Anthony Edwards in the lineup.

However, Denver was also missing a key player from their lineup who could’ve certainly grabbed multiple rebounds. Aaron Gordon was sidelined for the contest due to a left calf injury, which kept him out of Game 3, and bothered him during his time on the court in other games.

Jokic took the stance most superstar athletes will take: accepting blame for the loss among the players, rather than calling out the coaching staff.

He also joked during his postgame remarks that if this series loss occurred in his country, Serbia, everyone would be fired from the team. That’s not the answer, but some changes could be coming this offseason.

Adelman has demonstrated his coaching competence, serving as an assistant coach with the Nuggets for eight years, including during their championship season several seasons ago.

He guided Denver to the third-best record in a stacked Western Conference, with only the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and the surging San Antonio Spurs ahead of the Nuggets.

With Jokic’s latest statements, he’s clearly calling out his team’s lack of effort and even blaming himself, but one has to wonder how much one player can shoulder.

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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 7:18 AM.