Four minutes into tonight’s game, Aaron Gordon exited due to a right calf strain, something that he had been dealing with heading into the game.

From then on, tonight’s game was about the youth movement in Denver.

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Toronto Raptors 121-119 in a comeback effort. The Nuggets trailed the Raptors by double digits throughout a large portion of the game, and they had to manage it with a young, young roster around Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook.

Jokic, for his part, had 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists. he was tremendous when it mattered as he always is, but it wasn’t his most precise game tonight on either end. His defense was subpar for much of the evening, but he turned up the pressure just at the right time to collect a steal and get Denver easy points late in the fourth quarter.

Russell Westbrook had a strong game as well. In 34 minutes, Westbrook finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and six assists, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. Westbrook guarded RJ Barrett on the final possession of the game, forcing an extremely tough three-pointer that juuuuust rimmed out.

“It’s very important, man. It shapes you as a team,” Westbrook said of the close games the Nuggets are playing and surviving to start the year. “We’ve been in these situations a couple times this year, and obviously, you don’t want to be in a lot of close games. But it’s good to see that we come together when things get tight and adversity hits. We don’t fall down. We don’t look around. We come together. We lock in.”

Locking in tonight meant figuring out how to play without two staples of the Nuggets core. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon being out leaves a lot of questions for Denver’s formula in crunch time.

In their place: the youth movement officially arrived.

Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, and Peyton Watson all closed tonight next to Michael Porter Jr. and Nikola Jokic. Rather than close with Westbrook, Michael Malone trusted the defense and spacing from the young guys, and it paid off spectacularly.

Braun had 17 points and made play after play defensively against Gradey Dick and RJ Barrett. Braun hit a corner three to keep Denver in the game as well, one of his most important shots of his season thus far.

Peyton Watson then hit the biggest shot of the night in the same left corner, a shot he never hesitated on and drilled in a big moment. His defense down the stretch can also be described as hellacious, making important plays with his hands and athleticism. Watson finished with 16 points and shot 7-of-9 from the free throw line and 1-of-2 from three.

Then Julian Strawther hit the biggest shot of the night immediately after, capping off Denver’s comeback with a great drive and bank shot with just over a minute to go to give the Nuggets the lead. Strawther struggled throughout the night defensively, but he held up in the clutch and made some big, big shots when it mattered.

Denver went on to win, and they did it with several young players handling major roles. Jokic facilitated everything and made it work. It wasn’t perfect, and there were several mistakes made that the veterans may not have made, but this was the growth opportunity in a win that many were hoping for.

Michael Malone isn’t quick to trust. He wants to believe in his players, but they have to earn that right first. Malone will go to battle with anybody once they prove they deserve that trust though, and several young players seem to have made that leap tonight.

“I’m saying to myself, holy shit, we’re out here with [young guys] — I never envisioned this lineup being out there to close the game.”

“For me Ryan, it’s fun, seeing these guys, especially when you give a guy a chance and they step up and they play well.”

Last season, the Nuggets weren’t able to trust the young guys enough when it mattered. Braun made the playoff rotation and was solid, but both Watson and Strawther were squeezed out. It was an ode to Malone trusting the players he knew would make the right decisions, even if the ceiling wasn’t as high. That consistency matters a ton in the NBA, because in the playoffs, allowing a 7-0 run due to inexperience might end your season.

This year, Malone is making a real effort early on. Braun’s averaging an absurd 35 minutes per game so far, and he’s earned those minutes. Strawther’s just under 20 minutes per game, while Watson is closer to 18 per game right now, despite some serious shooting struggles prior to tonight.

 With Murray already out and Gordon potentially missing some time with a calf strain, the Nuggets are in desperate need of some quick development. That’s almost an oxymoron, but Denver’s talented enough to get it done and make these minutes meaningful for everyone. Braun’s firmly in the circle of trust at this point. Could Strawther and Watson work through their own developmental process in these next 25+ games and be added to that circle?

If Denver’s able to manage that AND stay afloat in the standings at the same time? It’s a dream come true.

Of course, Denver’s schedule gets a lot tougher from now on. They’ve faced Toronto twice, Brooklyn, and Utah so far. It’s going to take a more consistent effort from the entire team to survive the next several games.

We will see if the young guys, and Jokic, are up for it.

Final Rotations