The David Adelman era started with a much-needed win to snap a four-game losing streak.

Here are three takeaways from Denver’s 124-116 win Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif.:

1. In his pregame press conference, David Adelman stressed the need for more “positive energy” and the vibes seemed significantly better than they were in the final months of Michael Malone’s tenure. The Nuggets were more engaged defensively outside of a sleepy stretch to start the second quarter and a late stretch of the fourth. The ball popped offensively whereas the last few weeks felt like there was too much reliance on Nikola Jokic to do it all. All five starters scored 18 or more points. Christian Braun led the way with 25 points on 12 shots. Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon scored 21 points apiece and shot 50% from the field or better. Jalen Pickett scored a career-high 18 points, while Jokic posted 20 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists with four steals. That’s the kind of performance the team can feel good about heading into two all-important games to end the regular season.

2. Outside of a little more defensive intensity and a few new wrinkles on offensive sets, things looked largely the same. With Jamal Murray missing a sixth consecutive game, Adelman started the same group Malone used in his final game – Pickett, Braun, Porter, Gordon and Jokic. With Sacramento using Jonas Valanciunas behind Domantas Sabonis, Adelman used DeAndre Jordan as the back-up center the same way Malone used Jordan. The rotation was unchanged as Russell Westbrook, Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther completed the nine-man rotation. Denver heads into Thursday’s slate of games fourth in the Western Conference, a half game ahead of the Clippers and Grizzlies. San Antonio’s Harrison Barnes did the Nuggets a favor, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer that beat Golden State. Minnesota is eighth with a 46-33 record. A win against Memphis on Friday would go a long way to helping the Nuggets finish in the top six of the Western Conference.

3. The coaching change probably hurt Jokic’s chances to win Most Valuable Player, but he continued to help his case in Denver’s 80th game of the season. After posting another triple-double, Jokic took a big step toward joining Oscar Robertson and Westbrook as the third player to average more than 10 points, rebounds and assists over the course of a full season. More important to Denver’s long-term future, Jokic sounded at peace with the first coaching change of his NBA career during his postgame interview on ESPN. With the uncertainty surrounding Jamal Murray’s availability moving forward, the Nuggets and Adelman need Jokic’s best to make the most out of the remainder of this season.

NUGGETS 124, KINGS 116

What happened: Denver led by eight after the first quarter and took a 66-58 lead to halftime. The Nuggets extended the advantage to 10 by the end of the third quarter and survived a late scare to improve to 48-32.

What went right: Denver committed just seven turnovers, leading to 12 Sacramento points. Russell Westbrook was Denver’s only player who committed multiple turnovers.

What went wrong: Speaking of Westbrook, his late-season skid continued. In addition to the three turnovers, Westbrook scored just five points on 11 shots. He missed all four of his 3-pointers and grabbed four rebounds with four assists.

Highlight of the night: Aaron Gordon was on the receiving end of back-to-back lobs from Nikola Jokic in the first quarter. The second of which saw Gordon turn 180 degrees for a reverse slam.

Up next: Game 2 of the David Adelman era is against Memphis on Friday at Ball Arena.