PHILADELPHIA — In the NBA, with injury comes opportunity. With mass injury comes mass opportunity.
When Tyrese Maxey missed an awkward floater, when the buzzer sounded at Xfinity Mobile Arena, and when a 125-124 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers was secure, the Denver Nuggets celebrated like they won a championship. This was for good reason. This was a win on the tail end of a back-to-back, one that came just over 24 hours after one of their most lackluster losses of the season, on Sunday to the Brooklyn Nets. It was a win with a group that hardly plays.
For the record, the Nuggets were without all five of their normal starters, due to injury or rest, plus multiple bench players. Against a relatively healthy Sixers team, Denver’s deep bench saw an opportunity and took advantage of it. The Nuggets played like their professional lives depended on it. They fought and scrapped. They rallied when they were behind on the scoreboard. They never lost belief in themselves. And they came out with an incredible road win.
Point guard Jalen Pickett, the second-round pick out of Penn State, scored a career-high 29 points. He made seven 3-pointers, consistently got into the paint off the dribble and broke down Philadelphia’s defense. Peyton Watson, one of the few normal rotation players in uniform, had 24 points. When the Nuggets are fully healthy, he plays almost exclusively off the ball, with his normal role being that of a defensive energy guy. On Monday night, he had the ball in his hands almost all game, and he responded by consistently finding good shots for himself and others.
It’s about the mindset 👏 pic.twitter.com/5gyOH6IOwi
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 6, 2026
The overall formula for Denver wasn’t difficult. The Nuggets played harder than Philadelphia. Denver head coach David Adelman was displeased with the Nuggets’ disposition on Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn. He called the loss to the Nets “embarrassing” and “unprofessional” in demeanor. The Nuggets played with very little energy and very little passion.
Denver pulled a 180 on Monday night. From the opening tip, the Nuggets were alert and played with as much energy as they played with all season. By the end of overtime, when forward Bruce Brown scored what proved to be the winning points on a layup that was deemed a goaltend on Sixers center Joel Embiid, the Nuggets knew all they needed was a defensive stop. They were able to get it and steal the victory.
Without star center Nikola Jokić, this is how Denver is going to have to play. This remains true, even when Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and company get back into the lineup. They are going to have to play harder than other teams, and must rely on stealing a couple of wins they otherwise shouldn’t get. If the Nuggets can survive Jokić’s absence and secure a top-three seed in the Western Conference by the end of the season, Monday night will be one of the wins that helped get them there.
NEVER. COUNT. US. OUT. pic.twitter.com/oBqbbTtJV3
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 6, 2026
It’s also the reason that you maintain a full roster. And it’s the reason that coaches tell everyone on their rosters to “stay ready.” You never know when a situation like Monday night will occur.
For people like Pickett and Zeke Nnaji, players who will have to fight to stay in the league long-term, Monday night was their championship. And they performed when the lights were bright.