The Denver Nuggets leaned on their bench Monday night, outlasting the Houston Rockets 128-125 in overtime despite multiple injuries and the late disqualification of both centers at Ball Arena.
Head coach David Adelman closed the game with Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., second-year forward Spencer Jones, Jamal Murray and Cameron Johnson. “This is why they brought all of us in this summer,” Brown said afterward. “People go down. You never really have a season when everyone is fully healthy for 82 games.”
Off-season signings paying off
Brown and Hardaway, each on minimum-salary deals signed in July, rank among Denver’s six most-used players in total minutes this season. Another low-cost acquisition, veteran center Jonas Valanciunas, fouled out Monday but has become Nikola Jokić’s primary backup, appearing in 25 games—already more than Dario Šarić, his trade counterpart, logged all of last season (16). Valanciunas is averaging 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 12.8 minutes. Denver is still being outscored without Jokić, yet the team’s minus-1.2 net rating during those stretches is its best since 2020-21.
Jones and Watson step in for Gordon and Braun
With Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun sidelined, Jones and Peyton Watson have filled the gap. As starters, Watson is producing 14.2 points per game on .529/.429/.694 shooting, while Jones adds 8.2 points on .564/.448/.583. The five-man unit of Jokić, Murray, Johnson, Watson and Jones owns a +19.4 net rating and a 136.9 offensive rating across 143 minutes. “I did not expect us to score the ball like we have,” Adelman admitted. Both Watson and Jones will be restricted free agents this summer.
Injury updates
Watson left Monday’s contest with what the team called a right trunk contusion. Adelman characterized the play as “bone on bone” contact and expects a bone bruise rather than a long-term issue. Watson said Tuesday that the blow landed between his hip and ribs; he reported pain when laughing or coughing but no structural damage.
Guard/forward Julian Strawther was available after missing 12 games with a back injury but did not play. The second-year wing is averaging 7.9 minutes in nine appearances this season after logging 21.3 minutes over 65 games in 2024-25.
Source: Hoops Rumors
