Denver Nuggets: 15 greatest playoff moments of all-time
By John Buhler
10. Mike Evans’ game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime vs. Suns
- 1983 Western Conference Quarterfinals, Game 3
- April 24, 1983 (Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, AZ)
- Denver Nuggets 117, Phoenix Suns 112
Many of the Nuggets’ best playoff moments are in fact series victories or overall game performances, not necessarily tied to one specific play. However, that’s not to say that late-game heroics like Andre Miller’s game-winning layup versus the Golden State Warriors aren’t a frequent part of this list.
One such play that will forever life in Nuggets lore is Mike Evans’ game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime versus Phoenix Suns in the 1983 Western Conference Playoffs. Denver made it into the Western Conference Playoffs that year as the lowly No. 6 seed. Back then, the quarterfinals were just a three-game series.
With Phoenix taking Game 1 with a commanding 121-108 victory, it seemed that Denver’s season was on life support, needing an improbable two-game winning streak to keep the dream alive. After beating the Suns in Denver 113-99 in Game 2, Game 3 was a win-or-go-home matchup with all the stakes on the table in Phoenix.
With the game in the balances, Evans would drain a 3-pointer to force overtime in Phoenix at 106 points apiece. Evans’ clutch long distance bomb with 37 seconds left helped give the Nuggets the momentum they needed to claw it out in overtime. Denver outscored Phoenix by five points to win the deciding Game 3 117-112 to advance to the conference semifinals.
Star forward Alex English might have had 42 points in that game, but Evans’ 13 off the bench were ever so crucial in this series victory for the Nuggets. Keep in mind that the 3-point field goal was still very much a gimmick in the NBA at this time.
The 3-pointer was first introduced in the NBA in 1978-79 as somewhat of a novelty. While the game is absolutely 3-point centric today, its usage back in the early 1980s was primarily used out of desperation, whether that be late in a possession, or in the closing seconds of a quarter, for that matter.
Regardless, Evans’ clutch shooting cemented his legacy in Nuggets lore. 1983 would be his first year with the team after having been a first-round pick by the San Antonio Spurs out of Kansas State in the 1979 NBA Draft. Evans played with the Nuggets through 1988 to close out his NBA career.
Denver would lose to Evans’ former San Antonio club in five games in the Western Conference Semifinals. That being said, just even getting to them was truly remarkable. Down 0-1 in a best-of-three series as the lower seed, having to win Game 3 on the road and needing overtime to do it is especially impressive. Evans would briefly serve as the Nuggets head coach in 2001-02, bridging the gap between the Dan Issel and Jeff Bzdelik eras in Denver hoops.
