Nuggets Made Two Key Lineup Changes in Game 5 That Worked

Despite logging back-to-back DNP-CDs in Games 3 and 4, Jonas Valanciunas was ready for his moment in Game 5 . To relieve three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, while still having some size and physicality on the floor, Adelman turned to veteran center Valanciunas.

In ten minutes of action, Valanciunas had nine points and two rebounds on perfect 4-4 shooting from the field. Despite immediately getting into foul trouble, picking up three quick ones, and finishing with five, that might have been what the Nuggets needed. The Timberwolves have been very physical all series, and Valanciunas was not backing down.

Turning to Valanciunas off the bench rather than a small-ball lineup proved beneficial, helping the Nuggets not get dominated during their non-Jokic minutes. While his spot in the rotation is up in the air when Aaron Gordon returns from injury, Adelman should lean toward playing him as their backup center in Game 6.

Tyus Jones becomes an extra ball-handler

Denver became Jones' third stop of the 2025-26 season after spending time with the Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks, and even at the time, it was a questionable signing. To fill their final roster spot, the Nuggets looked toward a veteran ball-handler in Jones, but questions about his scoring and defense made it hard to imagine him contributing in a playoff series.

However, Jones checked into Game 5 and proved himself. After playing just four total minutes in the first four games, including three DNP-CDs, Jones was given a spot in the rotation on Monday night and finished with three points, two assists, one steal, and zero turnovers through 14 minutes.

Jones did his job to a T, especially when playing alongside Jamal Murray. When Murray is constantly getting hounded by Jaden McDaniels or Minnesota's other elite defenders, the Nuggets need a secondary ball-handler to take some pressure off him. That is exactly where Jones came into play, and he executed perfectly.

While the impact of Valanciunas and Jones will largely go unnoticed, especially on the box score, they each made significant plays on Monday night to help save the Nuggets' season. After the game, Adelman made sure to give both players their props.

"I thought the screening was a lot better, guys had better looks. I thought other people that hadn’t been playing cleaned things up for us, ball-handling wise. I thought Tyus [Jones] was good, gave us a different element. Jonas [Valanciunas] was really good screening, cleaning people up. So, a couple positives there from guys that have stayed ready and been professional," Adelman said.

With their season on the line and coming off three straight losses, it was clear the Nuggets had to make adjustments. Fortunately, they paid off, and now they live to play another game.