Life is hard for David Adelman right now with his Denver Nuggets greatly fractured. Aaron Gordon is in and out of the line up and has played just one game so far since November 22. Then there’s Nikola Jokic who is out for at least one month.
Their game against the Philadelphia 76ers got extra stressful for the coach as they were forced to rule out their other starters. Jamal Murray, who has been carrying the scoring load for them, did not play due to ankle sprain. Tim Hardaway Jr., Cameron Johnson, and Jonas Valanciunas were also unavailable.
That should be an instant loss, right? It was not. Instead, fans saw a team that fought and win until the last second. They pulled off a 125-124 victory over the Sixers on the road despite the presence of Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid who scored 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
They did not have a leader and second round draft pick Jalen Pickett decided he should step up.
“With all our starters out, we needed a leader. So we looked to me, Bruce [Brown], and [Peyton Watson] to kind of lead us in this game,” Pickett told Austin Rivers during courtside interview.
“With all our starters out, we needed a leader.”
Jalen Pickett STEPPED UP for Denver!
29 PTS (career high)
7 3PM (career high)
7 AST
Road W in OT pic.twitter.com/oZK4sIR2aE— NBA (@NBA) January 6, 2026
Picket finished with game high 29 points. Watson had 29 while Brown put up 19. Zeke Nnaji was also huge from the bench with his 21 points (4 out of 5 from three), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.
They won through a last second lay-up by Brown. Joel Embiid was called for a goal tending and Nuggets walked away with the 1-point win.
WHAT A WAY TO WIN pic.twitter.com/SPoo0wQ3i5
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 6, 2026
The win allowed the Nuggets to get back up after losing to lowly Brooklyn Nets headed by their former player Michael Porter Jr.
David Adelman has high praise for the win
It was an improbable win and Adelman thought it is one of the best ones in his career. He called it special.
He thinks the players involved in the win will forever remember this moment.
“This is a bunch of guys finding a way to get it done with grit and effort and timely shot making,” Adelman told reporters after the game.
“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.”
They will need more of this energy in their next game as they are set to face the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
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