The Nuggets looked like they cared in Phoenix, as starters sat on the bench

After the Nuggets atrocious performance in Houston on Tuesday night, they needed some good vibes.

And they definitely got them against the Suns.

Because Denver clinched the No. 1 seed thanks to a Grizzlies loss, none of the Nuggets starters suited up in Phoenix on Thursday. And maybe that was a good thing?

In a true bench game without the likes of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the second-unit shined. Bruce Brown poured in a career-high 31 points. Forgotten guard Reggie Jackson added 20 points, six assists and three steals.

And rookie Christian Braun made several highlight reel plays, on his way to 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals for a full stat-line.

Christian Braun is making plays for the @nuggets on TNT! pic.twitter.com/Dw7JevOGBp

— NBA (@NBA) April 7, 2023

The Nuggets lost the game 119-115, but that didn’t matter. Again, they have the No. 1 seed locked up and the starters didn’t play. But for the bench to take Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton down to the final minute? Now that’s something to be proud of.

It took a superhuman performance by Paul in the fourth quarter, including seven three-pointers on the night for the Suns to finally pull away. Heck, the Nuggets led 107-106 with 4:30 to go — they had a real chance to steal a victory.

Hopefully this was the jolt the starters, while in street clothes, needed to see. If guys who are only going to get a few minutes in the playoffs, and some none at all, can play that hard, then why can’t they?

The Nuggets were great until the calendar turned to March. Now they need to recapture that magic, or it could be a quick playoff exit. Hopefully a surprising performance in the desert helped.

***

Related

10 must-see games of the Denver Nuggets 2026-27 seasonNuggets’ 2026-27 schedule: Denver opens and closes vs. OKC, draws 28 national TV gamesRussell Westbrook retires: A Nuggets villain turned teammate, and the triple-double king Jokic is chasingNuggets get Christmas game, face old but star-filled groupNuggets rejected offer for Nikola Jokic to play in Greece in ‘a few seconds’You can tryout to play pro ball in the Nuggets organization