David Adelman’s coaching rite of passage wasn’t quite enough to spark an improbable Nuggets comeback. Arguing calls in what he felt like was “a reactionary game to earlier in the week” when Rockets coach Ime Udoka insulted the referees after a loss to Denver, Adelman earned his first career ejection as an NBA head coach Saturday. Houston won the grudge match, 115-101, snapping Denver’s six-game winning streak. The Nuggets (20-7) shot 40% from the field and 28% outside the arc in their lowest-scoring game of the season — an anomaly of a performance from the league’s best offense. But their defense was stingy enough to stay in the game for most of three quarters. Then Rockets guard Reed Sheppard executed an 11-0 run single-handedly to finish the third with an 82-66 lead. Denver kept scrapping but never fully recovered. Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) passes while being defended by Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (12) during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at Ball Arena in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post) The margin was 17 with 8:40 to go when Adelman took exception to a no-call in front of his bench, watching Nikola Jokic attempt to play through a crowd. The first-year Nuggets coach angrily confronted the officiating crew out to mid-court even after being handed his second technical foul, which automatically results in an ejection. “It seemed like he just kept walking away further and further,” Adelman said, laughing. “I just thought we would talk, and it turns out, they told me I had to leave.” He received a raucous ovation from a sold out Ball Arena crowd as walked off the court to the locker room. “I just felt like both teams were playing so hard, extremely hard. Physical,” Adelman said. “I give the Rockets so much credit. They crash the glass every time. And then we get two somewhat soft fouls on our best player. … Honestly, I was confused, and so I was just looking for answers. And I went out there to find them, and it turns out I had to leave. Sometimes, confusion can lead to destructive things. You’ve gotta think things through yourself sometimes. You go to other people, and sometimes they just don’t want to hear you.” Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) center Alperen Sengun (28) come down with an offensive rebound over Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson (23) on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at Ball Arena in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post) Jokic was held to 25 points on 20 shots and five assists while spending a large chunk of the afternoon sidelined due to foul trouble. Jamal Murray scored 16 points on 13 field goal attempts. Denver’s end-of-bench players briefly threatened to turn the game upside down in garbage time before Houston held on. Sheppard went for 28 points, six assists and three steals on a 6-for-9 day from 3-point range. He was outdone only by Kevin Durant, who scored 31 and shot 5 for 6 from deep. After only four days away, the Rockets returned to Denver with every reason to treat this game with playoff-level seriousness — not just due to the overtime thriller that left Udoka fuming, but because they also squandered a mid-week opportunity to bounce back against the lowly Pelicans. It had been a costly week for them already, not to mention the $25,000 fine Udoka incurred on Monday for saying two refs “didn’t have any business being out there” and the crew chief appeared “star-struck.” Adelman brought a chip on his shoulder to the arena Saturday even before opening tip. “We were minus-10 in personal fouls with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter (on Monday). Both of our centers fouled out,” Adelman pointed out in his pregame news conference. “I know the narrative was the opposite, which is fine. I know I had no centers at the end of the game. So things work in weird ways. This game will be just as physical.” He decided to take his turn chewing out the refs in the first quarter, working hard to earn a technical after Jokic was forced to sit down with two fouls. Both were called on loose balls while fighting for a rebound. The officiating trio was headed by Marc Davis, who was also the crew chief for the playoff game two years ago when Murray threw a heat pack on the court in frustration. “Marc is one of the best officials in the league. I thought the other guys, they did the best they could,” Adelman said. “I just felt, like I said, I was confused with the flow of the game. I’ve gotta be better than that, too. That game wasn’t over. I let the emotions get the best of me. But when you care abut your players and you feel a certain way, sometimes, you react.” Houston made the Nuggets burn energy and clock just to get into their actions. Murray, whose offense has been consistently efficient, ran into one of his first clunky games of the year. Generating clean looks in the half-court offense was laborious. Often, Denver’s safest bet was to clear out a side for Jokic to play in isolation. But he struggled with the late double-teams Houston often sent to him. Durant played excellent help defense, as he did Monday. Jokic picked up his fourth foul with 7:18 left in the third. Adelman decided to sit him for the rest of the quarter and have him ready to play the entire fourth, but that required a difficult survival game without him. Houston was already ahead by double digits. The Nuggets almost weathered the storm. Morale was high and the margin was 71-66 shortly after Bruce Brown scored a second-chance bucket and chirped at Durant, his former teammate. But all it took was one heat check from Sheppard, and the gap was too wide. “We had a game plan, that we were kind of down (the floor). Bigs were down,” Jokic said. “… When he makes one or two, that’s his superpower. That’s his thing. He’s gonna shoot more.” Denver Nuggets guard/forward Bruce Brown (11) puts up a shot over Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at Ball Arena in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post) Brown said after the game that Durant had crossed a line with his trash-talk during the game. Both players declined to get into the specifics of what was said. Durant seemed to relish getting a last laugh of sorts. He gleefully waved Adelman goodbye after the ejection and eventually treated Ball Arena to a cheeky celebration after burying a fourth-quarter 3-pointer over Murray. Related Articles Nuggets’ Bruce Brown, Rockets’ Kevin Durant are former teammates. Now they have beef. Keeler: Kevin Durant ‘crossed the line.’ Bruce Brown wanted to punch somebody. Nuggets-Rockets just got personal Grading The Week: Memo to Brooklyn Nets: Don’t let Michael Porter Jr. become Mikko Porter Jr. Why an aggressive trade deadline would be risky for Denver Nuggets Nuggets’ second-quarter blitz of Magic was ‘one of best’ of entire season The future Hall of Famer fired some imaginary artillery in the direction of Denver’s star guard, as well as the crowd, and danced all the way down the court. Adelman, who referred to Durant as “maybe a top-five” offensive player in NBA history before tip, didn’t mind the gamesmanship. “That’s what he is every night,” the coach said. “He’s a competitive guy. Talks a lot. He’s a hell of a player. I think its just two really competitive teams that really wanted this. … They’re coming off two really tough losses, overtime games. So there was going to be a lot of heat to this.” Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis. ...read more read less