BREAKING: Nuggets Coach Sends Nikola Jokic Warning to West Ahead of Playoffs

With the regular season now drawn to a close, the Denver Nuggets prepare for the NBA Playoffs.

They finished as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and will take on the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

The Nuggets made quite the splash last week when they chose to fire head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth with just days remaining in the regular season.

It was unorthodox to say the least, but they’ll have to put that behind them ahead of this series.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic rebounds the ball against the Kings.Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Nuggets coach sends warning to West regarding Nikola Jokic

Dave Adelman is the interim head coach for this year’s playoff run.

While it remains to be seen whether or not he’s the long-term answer, he’ll have a heck of a chance to essentially try out against a team that won nine of its last 10 games heading into the playoffs.

It certainly helps that Adelman will have Nikola Jokic, one of the best players in the world, on his side.

When asked about potential playoff matchups, Adelman had quite a response before the seeding was official.

“It’s really funny, people ask, ‘Who would you wanna play in the first round?,” Adelman said. “Nobody. The West is loaded. I mean, you think people wanna play Jokic?… Whoever you’re gonna get, it’s gonna be a beast.”

David Adelman on playoff matchups (before it was decided):

“It’s really funny, people ask, ‘Who would you wanna play in the 1st round?’

Nobody. The West is loaded. I mean, you think people wanna play Jokic?… Whoever you’re gonna get, it’s gonna be a beast.” pic.twitter.com/ngcC3G5y5R

— Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) April 13, 2025

The Nuggets went 2-2 in the season series against the Clippers. Weirdly enough, the Nuggets’ most recent win against the Clippers came on a night without Jokic.

In the three games against the Clippers, Jokic averaged 28.3 points, 10 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.

While still impressive numbers, his facilitating takes a significant hit when he plays the Clippers, down 44% from the 10.2 he averaged for the season.

The series likely won’t come down to Jokic. It’s more likely it’ll come down to the play of his supporting cast, such as Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.

We’ve seen them succeed at the highest level, but it will be interesting to see how players like Kawhi Leonard bother Denver’s perimeter players.