PHILADELPHIA — In the end, the battle between the Sixers and Nuggets, and between the two MVP front-runners, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić, came down to whom you’d expect.
Bones Hyland.
That’s right, Bones Hyland, the Wilmington, Del.–born Nuggets rookie who rolled into Denver’s only trip to Philadelphia with, according to Michael Malone, in the neighborhood of 500 supporters in the building. He gave each of them something to cheer about, connecting on four fourth-quarter three-pointers to power Denver to a 114–110 win.
What a game. It didn’t appear headed that way early. The Sixers built a 15-point lead in the first quarter. It eventually swelled to 19. The Nuggets, losers of two straight coming into Philadelphia, looked shook. In the second quarter, things started to turn. Jokić got going. Will Barton, too. By halftime, the 76ers’ lead was down to five. It was tied midway through the fourth quarter … when Hyland took over.
You may not know Hyland. You should. His story is unique. And tragic. In 2018, Hyland, then a high school junior, was caught in a house fire. His grandmother, Fay Hyland, and his one-year-old cousin, Maurice, were killed. Hyland escaped by jumping from a second-floor window. His knee hit a set of brick stairs, snapping his patella tendon. He grieved for his family members. Doctors, he said Monday, told him he would never play basketball again.
Hyland did. He returned in time for his senior season, averaging nearly 27 points. He went to VCU, where he made the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team as a freshman. He was named A-10 Player of the Year as a sophomore. He declared for the NBA draft last spring. Nuggets GM Tim Connelly, one of the NBA’s sharpest eyes for talent, snapped him up with the 26th pick. He scored in double figures in three straight games in November. He dropped 24 points in a win in Atlanta in December. In January, in a win over the Lakers, Hyland ripped off 27.
And then, Monday. Fearless is the word Malone used to describe the 21-year-old Hyland. It’s appropriate. With national television cameras rolling and all eyes on two leading MVP candidates, Hyland took over. His 25-footer with seven minutes to play gave Denver a two-point lead. A 30-footer on the next possession pushed it to three. A 26-footer seconds later made it six. His final three, another 26-footer with two minutes to play, gave the Nuggets a two-point lead they would not give up.
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After the game, Hyland settled into a chair in front of reporters, his tank top exposing his tattoos, all of which, he says, have deep familial meanings. He smiled as he recalled his scoring binge. When asked about his connection with the first responders who saved his life, he cried. Several of them were among the hundreds inside Wells Fargo Center to support Hyland on Monday. Before the game, they presented Hyland with a Wilmington Fire Department jacket.
“[Indescribable] feeling,” Hyland tweeted shortly before tip-off. “Thanks for rescuing me and my family.”
There will be time to dive deeper into Embiid and Jokić. If you were looking for one to separate from the other Monday, forget it. Embiid was excellent, powering in 34 points. After playing 41 minutes in an overtime win over Orlando on Sunday, Embiid gutted through 36 more. He made 55% of his shots. He made all three of his threes. He pulled down 10 rebounds. He came into the game as the NBA’s most dominant big man. He played like one.
Jokić did, too. He scored 22 points. He grabbed 13 rebounds. But it’s his passing that stood out. Jokić collected eight assists Monday, many of them spectacular. He lasered a baseball pass to Barton in the second quarter that cut the Sixers’ lead to single digits. He floated a perfect lob to Jeff Green in the third quarter that put Denver in front. He made a spectacular baseline jump shot while falling down in the fourth quarter. Down the stretch, two of the NBA’s best traded haymakers.
“That,” said Malone, “felt like a playoff game.”
And Denver won it. The Nuggets, still without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., climbed to within two games of Dallas for the fifth seed in the Western Conference. The Sixers, who are still adapting to their recently revamped roster, remain in a battle with Chicago and Boston for seeds No. 3–5. For the third game in a row, Philadelphia was shredded in transition (Denver scored 29 fast-break points). “It’s disappointing,” said 76ers coach Doc Rivers. Added James Harden, “We have to get our a-- back on defense.”
This game, though, was about Hyland, about a wide-eyed rookie born less than an hour away from here submitting a career-best performance in front of so many of the people who love him most. “He takes a tremendous amount of pride in where he’s from and the people who helped him get here,” said Malone.
After composing himself Monday, Hyland could only add this: “I grew up in a tough environment,” said Hyland. “I’ve literally seen everything. I’m not the biggest, I’m not the strongest, but I’ve got the biggest heart.”
