BREAKING: Nuggets Send 4-Word Message as 2023 NBA Champion Returns For Playoff Game
The Denver Nuggets fans were in high hopes after capturing a win in Game 1 of their NBA Playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
And why not? The Nuggets came from behind to force overtime.
The real difference was on the glass. In the last 2:30 of the fourth quarter and overtime, the Nuggets had nine offensive rebounds, despite only having three up to that point.
While Nikola Jokic will stand out on the stat sheet, it was the play of Russell Westbrook that brought the Nuggets back down the stretch.
Mar 10, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) gestures after a three point basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Paycom Center. © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Nuggets send four-word message with return of champion
Ahead of Game 2, the Nuggets welcomed back a familiar face.
Former Nuggets guard Bruce Brown was in attendance and got quite the welcome from the fans in the arena he used to call home.
Brown was on the 2022-23 Nuggets team that defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
Over that playoff run, Brown averaged 12 points per game on 51% shooting off the bench. He was a physical player and averaged four rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
Denver didn’t elect to bring him back following their championship. Instead, Brown signed a two-year $45 million deal with the Indiana Pacers.
That January, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors as part of the trade that sent Pascal Siakam to the Pacers.
Brown found himself on the move once again, the following year at the trade deadline, when he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the deal that sent Brandon Ingram to Toronto.
The timing couldn’t be better for Brown, as he prepares to hit free agency in the upcoming offseason.
While it’s unlikely he’ll get anywhere near the $45 million he got on his last deal, he would likely take less to return to the Nuggets. It’s also great timing for the Nuggets, as their lack of depth has sometimes been their demise this season.