Denver Nuggets Rally to Beat Pacers, 129-126
The Denver Nuggets rallied on Sunday to beat the Indiana Pacers at the Pepsi Center by a final score of 129-126.
In the midst of their longest homestand of the season, the Denver Nuggets were looking to rebound after a loss on Friday against the Miami Heat. Down 93-84 in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets rallied behind Will Barton to eliminate what was a 12-point lead after halftime.
After closing the lead to 2 points for much of the final period of Sundays game, the Denver Nuggets finally knotted at the score at 121-121 off an Emmanuel Mudiay dunk with 1:22 left. A Paul George jump shot with 1:05 gave the Pacers a 2-point lead once again at 123-121, but a basket from Will Barton with 52 seconds left tied the game once again.
The biggest shot of the night came with 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the game tied as Randy Foye sank a clutch 3-point shot to give the Denver Nuggets the lead at 126-123. With 17 seconds left, Foye fouled Monta Ellis, putting the Indiana guard on the free-throw line. Ellis made 1 of the 2 attempts, giving the Denver Nuggets a 126-124 lead with 17 seconds remaining.
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Randy Foye missed 1 of the 2 free-throws attempts, giving the Pacers the ball back. With 10 seconds left, Emmanuel Mudiay fouled C.J. Miles in the act of shooting, putting him at the charity stripe. Miles sank both free throws, making the score 127-126. With no choice but to foul, Chase Budinger put Will Barton at the line, where he made the score 129-126.
Indiana had the ball with a chance to tie the game with 10 seconds left, but with 3 seconds remaining the game, Emmanuel Mudiay blocked Paul George’s 3-point attempt, securing a gutsy victory for the Denver Nuggets. In what was one of the best wins for the Denver Nuggets this season, the team showed resolve and heart by rallying from such a large deficit.
Danilo Gallinari led the Denver Nuggets in scoring with 23 points, but fouled out of the game with 3:39 left in the 4th quarter. Will Barton added 21 points in 39 minutes off the bench. Gary Harris chipped in with 20 points. Nikola Jokic got the start at center, and scored 18 points, recorded 3 assists and 4 steals. Denver had 7 players score in double figures. The Denver Nuggets shot 50.5 percent for the game while Indiana shot a blistering 58.9 percent — and still lost.
Next: Will Barton: 6th Man of the Year Candidate?
This is a great win for the Denver Nuggets over one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. Denver next plays on Tuesday as they host the Oklahoma City Thunder.