Rarely does a game in the NBA regular season live on for ages and echo through the fanbase. On Monday night a variety of factors combined into the Denver Nuggets’ most memorable win of the 2025-26 regular season as they took down the Philadelphia 76ers 125-124 in overtime.
Coming off a horrendous loss in Brooklyn on Sunday, the Nuggets took to the road again for a back-to-back and this time without their entire starting five and top two bench players. With only nine mostly little-used players available, the Nuggets took it to former MVP Joel Embiid and his nearly fully healthy star-filled 76ers squad.
Getting off to a hot start behind fiery 3-point shooting, the Nuggets punched a lazy Philadelphia team early, then survived wave after wave led by Embiid, who pranced around the paint all night, given that Denver was without a center.
So who did the Nuggets have?
Jalen Pickett
Peyton Watson
Zeke Nnaji
Bruce Brown
Spencer Jones
Hunter Tyson
DaRon Holmes II
Julian Strawther
Curtis Jones
“So many guys stepped in and did things for us,” David Adelman said after. “I could keep going down the list. One of the most special wins I’ve been a part of.”
The 76ers’ largest lead came right before the end of the third. Embiid was grifting fouls and finally really dominating a game he should’ve been the whole time. But then he checked to start the fourth out after playing that whole third period.
That’s when the Nuggets went on a 14-0 run, re-taking the lead on a Hunter Tyson four-point play, resulting in a six-point lead with six minutes to play.
4-POINT PLAY HUNTER TYSON pic.twitter.com/UiusjSW1m2
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 6, 2026
Philly finally stopped the bleeding when Embiid came back in. While his crew managed to push the game into overtime, Embiid choked under the pressure of an undersized but swarming Nuggets defense. He turned it over three times late in the fourth and during the extra period, all while the 76ers’ rebounding disappeared.
“We went into overtime thinking we’re up against it,” Adelman said. “They have guys who have played in 100 playoff games, an MVP and we have guys who have never participated in an overtime game.”
On defense, Embiid was isolated by Pickett much of the game. The former Penn State All-American’s eyes lit up as he stepped back and launched over the big fella, scoring a career-high 29 points on seven made triples. He added a team-high seven assists and five rebounds.
Pickett, who had not played more than 25 minutes in a game this season until this road trip when the injuries started piling up, played a career high 42 minutes. Heck, Pickett has more DNP-CDs and victory-cigar appearances this year than the perpetually load-managed Embiid has games missed.
What Pickett did was go toe to toe with a likely Hall of Famer as little more than a benchwarmer.
“He went into a zone,” Adelman said. “Jalen had a night he’ll never forget. He was in control of that basketball game. With all the great players on the court, he was the guy tonight.”
Pickett was joined by Zeke Nnaji’s 21 points, the most by a backup center in the Nikola Jokic era since the three-time MVP was the backup. Nnaji also glassed a team-high eight rebounds and had some huge stops on Embiid despite a lousy whistle.
Down their top 5 players in MPG (Jokić, Murray, Gordon, Johnson, Braun)…
The @nuggets depth came up HUGE in Philly!
Jalen Pickett: 29 PTS, 7 3PM, 7 AST
Peyton Watson: 24 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK
Zeke Nnaji: 21 PTS, 8 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK
Bruce Brown: 19 PTS, 6 REB
Hunter Tyson: 14 PTS pic.twitter.com/Y6oYQt50J9
— NBA (@NBA) January 6, 2026
Nnaji spelled the rookie Holmes, who started alongside Pickett, Brown, Jones and Watson. The wing from UCLA poured in 24 points on 13 shots, to go with seven rebounds.
“This is a bunch of guys finding a way to get it done with grit and effort and timely shot making,” Adelman said postgame. “And I think that’s something that, when they’re older, 20 years from now, they’re probably gonna have a beer and talk about this game.”
Brown found a way off a Jones rebound, pushing the break for the game-winning bucket—an Embiid goaltend with five seconds left in overtime. Then the nifty nine came through with a stop on All-Star Tyrese Maxey to finish off the Philly Heist.
Down their entire top seven while on a back-to-back, the Nuggets took down the fifth-best team in the East, featuring at least two Hall of Famers. That’s certainly something to relive, 20 games, 20 weeks or 20 years from now. Adelman’s team has that fight, which has been a defining trait of the Jokic era, once led by Michael Malone.
So put Monday in that special place with the seven against Utah, the Juancho game, that one time Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan turned the clock back against the Clippers and Nikola Jokic’s halfcourt buzzer-beater to complete a late 21-point comeback. Tonight was special. Tonight was awesome. Tonight was what sports are all about. You never know what’s going to happen; all you can ask for is a chance. The undermanned Nuggets took the floor with a chance on Monday and stole one from the 76ers.
“Oh my gosh. I’m gonna tell ‘em I was giving MVPs buckets out there,” Pickett said when asked what he would tell people about this game.
What’s next for the Nuggets?
The Nuggets wrap up their season-long seven-game road trip on Wednesday in Boston. Denver is 2-4 on this stint. They finally return home on Friday to host the Hawks.
