Adelman shrugs off Jokic's 'tough night' in Game 3 loss

David Adelman doesn't expect Nikola Jokic's offensive struggles to continue after the Denver Nuggets star made just seven of his 26 shots and finished a game-worst minus-21 in Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"He had a tough night," the Nuggets coach said after Thursday's loss, according to ESPN's Anthony Slater. "It happens to players. This guy's played a million playoff games. There's nights that are poor. He'll bounce back. Everyone needs a day to understand we didn't play well offensively."

Jokic missed his first six shots through the first three-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter while mostly being defended by Rudy Gobert. Jokic finally hit his first field goal more than seven minutes into the contest.

"When you open the game like that, the easy ones don't go," Jokic said. "Really good defensive (first) quarter by them, really bad offensive quarter by us."

Denver scored 11 points in the first quarter as Jokic went 1-of-8 from the field. It was the second straight quarter in which the Wolves kept him quiet. After going 7-of-13 through three quarters in Monday's Game 2, Jokic was 1-of-7 in the final quarter as Minnesota pulled away.

Jokic is averaging 25.3 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in the series but is shooting 40% from the floor and 20.8% from three, both of which would be the lowest percentages he's ever recorded in a single postseason.