DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets held what essentially was a group therapy session Thursday after their 43-point demolition at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series.

“You can't just say, ‘Hey, let’s just have a mental day. Move on. We're good, we split,” interim coach David Adelman said. “That's not the case. If we want to win Game 3 things have to be different."

Starting with their mentality, he said.

“In the NBA playoffs, a lot of the time the whistle and the way the game is played is who hits first,” Adelman said. “And I thought they hit first, second and third. ... And tomorrow we have to be the aggressor, and I expect us to be.”

Adelman said the film review, albeit uncomfortable, proved productive.

“A lot of guys had thoughts on what they felt last night,” Adelman said. “And that allows you to move on and do things better tomorrow night.”

Adelman said the general sentiment was one of embarrassment.

“There was a lot of people speaking up and saying, ‘I can do better,' which I love,” Adelman said. “And then there's the film never lies, that kind of thing.”

The series shifts to Denver on Friday night, the Nuggets' sixth game since April 29 whereas the top-seeded Thunder entered this semifinal series on nine days' rest after sweeping Memphis in Round 1.

Denver survived a brutal seven-game series with the Los Angeles Clippers and 48 hours later beat Oklahoma City in the opener on Aaron Gordon's 3-pointer that capped a frenetic comeback in the final minutes.

It all caught up to them Wednesday night when they fell behind in the opening minutes of Game 2 and watched the Thunder run away with it without any real resistance.

“I don't want to say we weren't ready to play,” Adelman said. “I think we weren't ready to play at that level. And when they came out the way they did, I thought our reaction to it took a really long time to understand what kind of game it was.”

Adelman said of all the things the Nuggets need to correct, “it comes down to the mentality of how we play tomorrow. And we had a great mentality in Game 1. People can say, ‘Oh, you were behind in Game 1, too.’ But it never felt like we let go of the rope. And yesterday I felt we let go of the rope and I felt they also played at an extremely high level."

Adelman acknowledged fatigue was a factor in Denver's dismal performance.

“I'll say this: fatigue is a word you can use when you lose in the playoffs and that is a factor, but fatigue is part of what the postseason is," Adelman said. “And finding that next level, your second wind, your third wind, collectively finding energy from each other, is how you win these games.

“And there's a million ways to break things down: oh, they're playing more people than you or they had eight days off. All those things are true. But the other truth is well, we had enough energy to win Game 1 two days after winning a Game 7. So, why not have enough energy last night? I think the guys have it in them and I think they'll bring it tomorrow night."

Montero, Keith lead Tigers over slumping Rockies 11-1 to sweep doubleheader

DENVER (AP) — Keider Montero pitched eight strong innings, Colt Keith homered, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Colorado Rockies 11-1 in the second game on Thursday to sweep their doubleheader.

Spencer Torkelson had three hits and Brewer Hicklen singled in the third for his first career hit for Detroit. The Tigers won the first game 10-2 and finished 7-3 on their 10-game road trip.

Montero (1-1) allowed a run and five hits to earn his first victory since Sept. 15, 2024. Two of Montero’s seven career wins have come against the Rockies. He blanked them on Sept. 10, 2024, for his only complete game and has a 0.53 ERA against them.

Colorado has lost six in a row and is a major league-worst 6-31.

The Tigers trailed 1-0 but rallied in the third against Tanner Gordon (0-1), who was making his first start of the season.

With bases loaded and no outs, Kerry Carpenter hit a grounder to Ryan McMahon at third base. The ball went through the webbing of McMahon’s glove for a base hit, and Gleyber Torres followed with his three-run double.

Torkelson doubled and Jace Jung singled to drive in two more and make it a six-run inning.

Keith homered off Tyler Kinley in the seventh, his fourth of the season.

Key moment

The Rockies had bases loaded and one out in the third when Michael Toglia topped a ball right in front of the plate. Catcher Dillon Dingler picked it up, stepped on home and threw to first to complete the inning-ending double play.

Key stats

Trey Sweeney went 12 for 17 in the last four games of the road trip to raise his average 63 points to .269.

Up next

Tigers RHP Tarik Skubal (3-2, 2.21) will open a three-game series against Texas on Friday night. Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (1-5, 5.50) opens a three-game series against San Diego.