Despite being severely undermanned, the Nuggets leaned on Bruce Brown as his clutch performance in overtime propelled Denver past the Philadelphia 76ers.
With Denver’s five regular starters sidelined, Bruce Brown became the unlikely hero.
Brown scored 19 points and nailed the game-winning layup off a Joel Embiid goaltending call as the undermanned Nuggets edged the Philadelphia 76ers, 125–124, in an overtime thriller on Tuesday, January 6 (PH time).
After rookie VJ Edgecombe gave Philadelphia a 124–123 lead with 1:26 remaining, Denver answered with a critical defensive stop when Spencer Jones rejected a Joel Embiid attempt.
The block sparked a fast-break opportunity that ended with Brown muscling past Tyrese Maxey for the tying layup, with Embiid whistled for goaltending on the play.
The 76ers had one final chance to force a second overtime, but Maxey’s floater rattled out at the buzzer, allowing Denver to escape despite missing Nikola Jokic (left knee bone bruise), Jamal Murray (left ankle sprain), Aaron Gordon (right hamstring strain), Cameron Johnson (right knee bone bruise), and Christian Braun (left ankle sprain).
Jalen Pickett delivered a career night with 29 points and seven three-pointers, while Zeke Nnaji added 21 off the bench to help carry the load.
Denver was also without key rotation pieces Tim Hardaway Jr. (illness), Jonas Valanciunas (right calf strain), and Tamar Bates (left foot surgery).
Embiid finished with a 32-point, 10-rebound double-double in defeat, while Maxey scored 28 and Edgecombe chipped in 17.
Denver travels to Boston next to face the Celtics (23–12), while Philadelphia looks to rebound against the Washington Wizards (9–25).
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.