One of the memorable high points of the Nuggets’ championship defense so far was their shocking, short-handed win at the star-studded Clippers in November.
They were almost victims of an inverted version Saturday.
Without their three best players, the Philadelphia 76ers took the Nuggets to the brink of a season-low point before Denver scrapped out a 111-105 victory in its first home game in two weeks.
Tied at 96 with 4:30 remaining, the Nuggets (32-15) scored seven unanswered points to claim the lead for good. Then Michael Porter Jr., battling a second-half uncharacteristic shooting rut, drained his most important 3-pointer of the game to double a 104-101 lead with 1:17 remaining.