The Denver Nuggets followed a lackluster performance in Brooklyn with a surprising 125-124 overtime victory Monday night in Philadelphia, despite resting all five regular starters on the second night of a back-to-back.
Head coach David Adelman started Peyton Watson, Jalen Pickett, Bruce Brown, Spencer Jones and DaRon Holmes. Zeke Nnaji, Hunter Tyson, Julian Strawther and Curtis Jones came off the bench. The makeshift lineup reversed the “embarrassing and unprofessional” effort Adelman cited after Sunday’s 12-point loss to the Nets, when Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon returned from long layoffs.
Pickett’s Career Night
Jalen Pickett, who had logged double-digit minutes only 12 times this season, finished with a career-best 29 points on 11-for-20 shooting in 42 minutes. Zeke Nnaji added 21 points and eight rebounds, while Hunter Tyson scored 14. Adelman called the bench production vital as Denver remains “in survival mode” without Nikola Jokić.
Front-Office Outlook
General manager Jon Wallace told The Athletic before Monday’s win that the team expects some slippage in the standings during Jokić’s absence but believes veteran leadership can “hold the line.”
Injury Updates
- Nikola Jokić: Making progress from a hyperextended knee; club hopes to have him back by the All-Star break.
- Christian Braun: Played 24 minutes Sunday in his first game since spraining an ankle.
- Aaron Gordon: Logged 21 minutes off the bench Sunday after missing action since Nov. 21 with a strained hamstring. Both players will stay on minute limits for several games.
- Jamal Murray: Missed his second game of the season Monday with a left ankle sprain. Adelman said the guard had been playing through discomfort and needed a night off.
- DaRon Holmes: The 2024 first-round pick, sidelined all of last season by an Achilles tear, has appeared in five straight games—three starts—averaging 18.0 minutes.
Denver entered Tuesday holding a cushion in the Western Conference standings and will continue to rely on its bench until its core players are fully healthy.
Source: HoopsRumors
