Shorthanded Nuggets Pull Off Shocking OT Upset vs. 76ers

Even without all five of their starters, the Denver Nuggets upset the Philadelphia 76ers on the road.

Jan 5, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jalen Pickett (24) drives past Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets went into Monday's matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Jonas Valanciunas, and Tim Hardaway Jr. all sidelined. How did that turn out for them? Surprisingly well.

Even while playing without all five of their starters and two key bench players, the Nuggets managed to pull off a huge 125-124 overtime win in Philadelphia.

Nuggets led by a few huge performances

The Nuggets were led by Jalen Pickett with 29 points, five rebounds, and seven assists on 7-11 shooting from three-point range. This was Pickett's eighth start of his three-year career, and it is safe to say he made the most of it.

Hell of a night for the Jalen Pickett stans.

— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) January 6, 2026

Pickett set a new career-high in points and three-pointers made, and it could not have come at a more desperate time for the Nuggets.

Peyton Watson was also huge for Denver, dropping 24 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Bruce Brown had 19 points and six rebounds to help out as well. Of course, both Watson and Brown have proven themselves as valuable players in the past, and were certainly expected to step up while the Nuggets were shorthanded. Luckily, they did just that.

Arguably, Denver's most surprising performance came from backup big man Zeke Nnaji, who finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks on 7-11 shooting from the field off the bench. Nnaji's 21 points match his career high, and as the Nuggets are still expected to play without Jokic and Valanciunas for the next few weeks, getting Nnaji to step up in that role would be a game-changer.

Nuggets' superstar trio in OT win vs. Sixers:

Jalen Pickett:
29 PTS, 10-20 FG, 7-11 3PT

Peyton Watson:
24 PTS, 7-13 FG, 2-3 3PT

Zeke Nnaji:
21 PTS, 7-11 FG, 4-5 3PT

No Jokic, Jamal, Gordon, Braun, Cam, Valanciunas, THJ, no problem.pic.twitter.com/UAqWIXT1bb

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) January 6, 2026

Bruce Brown's game-winner

Brown had a huge performance, but his biggest bucket came with five seconds left in overtime. After a clutch defensive stop from Spencer Jones and Peyton Watson with the Nuggets down by one, Brown drove it to the basket on a fast break and drew a goaltending call on Joel Embiid to retake the lead and seal the deal for Denver.

Typically, in a crunch-time situation like this, Brown would not even be on the floor. However, he stepped up when it mattered most to lead the Nuggets to a back-against-the-wall win on the road against a talented 76ers team.

Overcoming the Embiid-Maxey duo

While the Nuggets got some huge offensive performances from unexpected heroes, the 76ers' star tandem did all they could to try to avoid the upset.

Oct 25, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) and center Joel Embiid (21) talks during a break in action in the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Xfinity Mobile Arena. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Joel Embiid led the way for the 76ers with 32 points and ten rebounds on 13-22 shooting. Typically, in a matchup between the Nuggets and 76ers, fans would be enjoying a battle between Embiid and Jokic, but the 76ers' MVP center still managed to keep up his end of the deal on Monday night.

Tyrese Maxey was just as impactful for the 76ers, dropping 28 points, six rebounds, six assists, and four steals on 10-22 shooting from the field and 4-9 from beyond the arc.

It was always going to be hard for this shorthanded Nuggets team to slow down Embiid and Maxey, and while the 76ers' star duo managed to do their thing, they were not able to avoid the upset.

Sure, the 76ers might have lost themselves the game, but the Nuggets certainly deserve some respect for this performance. Even while missing seven of their top ten players, the Nuggets managed to get it done. David Adelman and the Nuggets' deep bench players certainly exceeded expectations on Monday.

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