Jalen Pickett had himself a night on Monday as he led the Denver Nuggets over the Philadelphia 76ers in a nail-biting finish in overtime, 125-124, at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
While it was Bruce Brown who made the game-winning basket for the short-handed Nuggets, it was Pickett who kept them afloat throughout the game. With the team missing its main guys, Pickett stepped up to the plate and scored a career-high 29 points, including 7-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. He also had five rebounds and seven assists.
The 26-year-old Pickett received praise from fans on X after his memorable performance.
“Jalen Pickett is hereby now known as Jalen Pickaxe,” said @T3ddyKnckleball.
“Just imagine you’re a 76er and you got beat by a team down all five starters in your own arena. Nuggets masterclass tonight. Jalen Pickett can HOOP,” added @teighauer.
“Hey (Nikola) Jokic, Jalen Pickett is here,” posted @dddobryn, while adding a GIF of sports analyst Colin Cowherd.
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Hey Jokic, Jalen Pickett is here pic.twitter.com/rtf3QGTGUQ
— Danja (@dddobryn) January 6, 2026
“Went from ‘Why they ducking?' to getting cooked by players nine through 15 on the roster. Jalen Pickett had Joel Embiid dancing Bachata on the iso. Nikola and the boys will be back soon, don't run,” commented @JeremyBoogz.
“Zeke Nnaji and Jalen Pickett put Embiid in jail while the (Oklahoma City) Thunder got blown out by Charlotte (Hornets) at home, I'm so sure this was real,” exclaimed @BraapConnisseur.
Denver, which played without Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas, and Christian Braun, improved to 24-12.