The basketball world is still processing the firing of Michael Malone, but the Denver Nuggets had a game to play Wednesday.
Playing under interim coach David Adelman, the Nuggets defeated the Sacramento Kings 124-116 to keep pace in a playoff race that suddenly feels in the background for an organization with plenty to figure out internally.
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The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Denver.
Nikola Jokić, the superstar who might feel he has less help than ever, posted his NBA-best 33rd triple-double of the season with 20 points on 5-of-12 shooting, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals. Russell Westbrook, whose minutes were reportedly a point of contention among Nuggets leadership, had five points on 2-of-11 shooting.
Jokić appeared to be coaching his teammates at one point.
After the contest, Jokić called it a “heavy day for everybody,” per ESPN.
“I texted to him,” Jokic said of Malone. “It was a 10-year relationship, so it was heavy day for everybody, probably especially for him and his family. But I would say it’s part of the business.”
The Nuggets shocked the basketball world on Tuesday when they announced they were firing Malone, who had led the team to its first NBA championship only two seasons ago, as well as general manager Calvin Booth. While the Nuggets had struggled to replicate their success since that title, Malone was widely considered one of the NBA’s better coaches.
At the decision’s root was an atrophying relationship between Malone and Booth, and Nuggets ownership decided to move on from both, figuring out the rest of the season as it moves along.