Don't mess with this Nuggets bench

What was James Harden thinking? Going chest to chest with DeMarcus Cousins in the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 114-110 win over the 76ers couldn’t have been how Harden envisioned his Monday night going.

But that’s the situation Harden found himself in with 7:04 left in regulation and Denver leading 97-95. You could tell he immediately regretted it. Cousins’ smile told the whole story.

Probably didn’t need to play the final seven minutes of the fourth. Tonight’s game ended right here.pic.twitter.com/cNuSzegRXU

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) March 15, 2022

Many have tried to punk the Nuggets before. Recently, no one’s succeeded. Marcus Morris attempted to send the Nuggets home from the Orlando bubble in Game 5 of the 2020 Western Conference semis. Instead, his spat with Paul Millsap ignited a 3-1 Nuggets comeback and served as the first nail in the Clippers’ playoff coffin. Three games later, it was Morris who packed his bags.

Just this January, Russell Westbrook thought he could get one over on Aaron Gordon when the two stared each other down during a third-quarter dustup of what would be a Nuggets blowout win. Gordon didn’t flinch.

Here’s a message to the rest of the NBA: Stop trying the Nuggets. You can’t punk them. They’re too mentally strong. The postseason wars that Nikola Jokic and much of this group have gone through have shaped this team. They’re not scared of anyone. They don’t back down.

While Monday’s tilt in Philly was billed as the game that would decide this season’s MVP, Jokic and Joel Embiid’s head-to-head matchup was overshadowed by a dominant performance from the Nuggets’ second unit. Denver’s bench outscored Philadelphia’s 48-14 and combined to shoot 18-33 (54.5%) from the field and 8-18 (44.4%) from 3.

Bones Hyland, in front of 500+ friends, family and fans who made the 30-minute drive up from Wilmington, Delaware stole the show. Hyland sunk four game-shaping 3s in the span of 67 seconds in the fourth quarter and finished with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and only 1 turnover in 31 minutes.

“Fearless,” Michael Malone said. “That’s one word I would use to describe Bones Hyland.”

Cousins added 8 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists and swished two momentum-turning 3s on back-to-back possessions early in the fourth quarter. JaMychal Green stepped in for Gordon, who battled an illness Monday, closed the game and delivered a memorable 46-second sequence that catapulted Denver to the win. With 4:53 remaining in the fourth, Green hit back-to-back mid-range baseline jumpers on consecutive possessions, then stepped in front of Embiid to draw a charge and his fourth personal foul that was cemented after a successful challenge from Michael Malone.

“J-Myke has a big heart, no matter how big the opponent is,” Jokic said. “I know he has a big heart. He’s a fighter.”

Hyland, Cousins and Green have given Denver’s second unit its identity. Two Alabama boys and the rookie from Wilmington have turned an inconsistent and fragile bench into a group that opponents fear. A few months ago, you held your breath when Jokic left the floor. Now, you’re excited to watch the Nuggets’ bench put their imprint on the game when they clock in.

“Our bench was incredible tonight,” Malone said.

This wasn’t Jokic’s best game. He tallied 22 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks and only committed one foul in 34 minutes while guarding Embiid. My read on the MVP race is that Jokic held a slight lead coming into tonight, but I don’t think he clinched the award with Embiid turning in an impressive 34-point, 9-rebound, 4-assist evening.

But the Nuggets’ 41st win of the season proved that even without an A+ level game from Jokic — Denver was outscored by nine points when he was on the floor — this team can still come back from a 19-point first-half deficit and win on the road in front of a hostile crowd.

It turns out physicality and toughness travels.

“That felt like a playoff game,” said Malone. “That was like a game you’re going to see late in the playoffs where every possession matters and physicality matters.”