Former Nugget plays hero in comeback victory for Phoenix

Collin Gillespie began his career with the Denver Nuggets in 2022 after a dominant career at Villanova in which he won a National Championship in 2018. The 6-foot-1 guard was never able to find consistent play with the Nuggets, mostly because of a broken leg he suffered his rookie year, and appeared in just 24 games the second season, averaging 9.4 minutes per game. Gillespie signed a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns last offseason.

Phoenix has been struggling this season, and is currently on the outside looking in to the Western Conference Playoffs. Tuesday night, the Suns were down 23 at home, and the season looked to be at its lowest. Gillespie got a chance to get in on the action and made the absolute most of it.

In 11 minutes of action in the fourth quarter alone, Gillespie tallied 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting (2-3 3PT) and was a +21 for the Suns. His ability to run the offense and position himself for high-quality shots was important as he helped spark the comeback, which ended with him hitting a dagger 3-pointer.

Collin Gillespie scored 10 PTS in the Suns’ MASSIVE 4Q comeback, including this triple to ice it 🧊🧊

Phoenix rides a 43-22 fourth to victory! pic.twitter.com/cHzoU15odA

— NBA (@NBA) March 5, 2025

Play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson even dubbed it “The Collin Gillespie Game.”

Why did the Nuggets not retain the point guard who was a part of the 2023 team that won the title? He had shown flashes last year that he could be a viable player off the bench on a two-way contract, but the Nuggets opted to go with younger options in guys like Trey Alexander, PJ Hall and Spencer Jones.

For Gillespie, it’s good to see a former Nugget getting praise and playing good ball. In the three games he’s played 10 or more minutes for Phoenix this season, he’s averaging just over nine points and three assists per game.

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