By PAUL GOTHAM
Jalen Pickett hit a 3-pointer in overtime and poured in a career-high 29 points as the Denver Nuggets defeated host Philadelphia, 125-124 in NBA action, Monday night.
Making his fourth start of the season and third in the past four games, the former Aquinas standout connected on 11-of-20 shots from the floor. He hit 7-of-11 from behind the 3-point arc.
The 6-foot-2 guard added five rebounds and seven assists against four turnovers as part of an effort that saw the third-year player finish with plus-6 rating on the night.
Coming off a 127-115 loss at Brooklyn, the Nuggets were without their entire starting lineup Monday night including three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic (hyperextended knee), Jamal Murray (ankle) and Aaron Gordon (hamstring).
“We felt like we didn’t play well last game, and we needed to come out with a bunch of energy and effort,” Pickett told NBA on Peacock after the game. “When you come in with that mindset and you’re trying to steal a game, anything can happen.”
Pickett scored three points in the first quarter before unloading in the second when he hit back-to-back triples.
“With all our starters out, we looked to me, Bruce (Brown) and PY (Peyton Watson) to lead us in this game. We knew it was going to start on the defensive end. When you come out and play with that effort and get easy baskets in transition, confidence just builds.
Averaging 12-plus minutes per game entering action, Pickett logged a season-high 42 minutes, Monday night.
Pickett reached double figures twice earlier in the season scoring 10 in a loss to Houston on December 20th and 10 more at Toronto in a win on December 31st.
CAREER-HIGH 22 PTS.
— NBA (@NBA) January 6, 2026
CAREER-HIGH 6 3PM.
WILD STEPBACK.
Jalen Pickett going OFF on Peacock! pic.twitter.com/bxi2cCUEgB
He is averaging 10.6 points per game over the Nuggets past five outings.
His previous career-high was an 18-point effort in a 124-116 Nuggets’ win at Sacramento on April 9, 2025.
After graduating from Aquinas, Pickett spent a post-graduate year at Spire Institute before playing three years at Siena College and transferring to Penn State for his two final years of college.
Other Section V alums in the NBA: Isaiah Stewart (McQuaid Jesuit) scored seven points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked two shots in Detroit’s 121-90 win over the New York Knicks.
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