the mental, too, just had a very clear mind, leadership was great all summer, and it’s just kind of continued into the season.” Murray’s consistency has been a significant factor in Denver’s 8-2 start.
David Adelman’s First Season as Head Coach
David Adelman took over as interim coach for the Nuggets on April 8, 2025, during their final games of the regular season. Adelman was brought in to stabilize a team that had been struggling and almost missed the playoffs. His first game as head coach came on April 9 against Sacramento and marked his first win of three consecutive victories.
Adelman reflected on this period, saying, “It was chaotic, but Josh Kroenke talked to the team and then me getting a chance to talk to the guys in the airplane and kind of take a break from it for a second – take a deep breath, talk to the staff, get people calmed down and just try to get ourselves focused on what we could control which is just to win the basketball game.” Adelman’s first full season as head coach has seen the Nuggets start strongly at 8-2.
The Sacramento Kings’ Challenges
Sacramento’s Doug Christie, who took over as interim coach in June after Mike Brown’s departure, was also making his first full season as head coach. The Kings struggled against Denver, with their second consecutive loss by the Nuggets. Sabonis had 19 points and eight rebounds but fouled out early.
His backup, Drew Eubanks, managed to outshoot Jokić, scoring a season-high 19 points (8-for-9 from the field).
Christie spoke to the media about the team’s challenges: “This is about us playing at a high level for 24 minutes tonight, maybe 30, it’s not enough. We need a 48-minute effort to win in this league, especially against a team like that – a championship-level team.” The Kings face an even tougher schedule ahead with four games against teams above .500 over the next month.
