Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman’s ejection Saturday is going to cost him.
The NBA fined Adelman $35,000 for directing inappropriate language at game officials and for failing to leave the court in a timely manner after he was ejected in his team’s 115-101 loss to the Houston Rockets, the league announced Sunday. The ejection was the first of Adelman’s career.
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Adelman, who drew a technical foul in the first half at Ball Arena on Saturday, was arguing with officials in the fourth quarter over two questionable foul calls on Nikola Jokić. Then suddenly, after Jokić was smacked on the arm and lost the ball, Adelman erupted and sprinted at the official.
“You are f***ing terrible, man!” Adelman screamed at the official loud enough to get picked up on the broadcast. Adelman continued to follow the official, and had to be held back by his assistants. The official immediately hit Adelman with a second technical foul, which led to his automatic ejection.
Adelman said after the game that he was “confused,” and was “just looking for answers.”
“It seemed like [the official] just kept walking away farther and farther,” he said, via The Associated Press. “I thought we would talk, and it turns out they told me I had to leave. So yeah, it was a tough night for us for sure.”
Adelman is in his first full season leading the Nuggets. He took over on an interim basis at the end of last season after the franchise split with head coach Michael Malone, and was then promoted to the top job this past offseason. The 44-year-old has been on staff in Denver since the 2017-18 season.
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The Rockets led the entire second half and rolled to the win Saturday, thanks to a 31-point night from Kevin Durant. That snapped a six-game win streak for the Nuggets, who now hold a 20-7 record. Jokić had a team-high 25 points with seven rebounds and five assists. The Nuggets shot just 8-of-29 from the 3-point line.
Denver will be back in action Monday night against the Utah Jazz.
