They say misfortune creates opportunity… and that's what Denver Nuggets forward Will Barton grabbed by the reins after an unfortunate injury to center Nikola Jokic in the closing seconds of the first half.
Jokic rolled his ankle by stepping into Jerian Grant's foot and was ruled out for the game with a left ankle sprain. Barton took on the opportunity to go on attack mode, even delivering the game-winner in wild fashion.
Down 110-109 in the closing seconds of regulation, Barton took lengthy strides and skated through the defense, finishing with a crafty reverse layup, maneuvering around a sea of Bulls to get the Pepsi Center roaring in its feet.
What a finish!
Will Barton's last second lay-up seals it for @nuggets. He finishes with a career-high 37 points.
DEN gets past @chicagobulls 111-110.
Lauri: 20 PTS, 9 REB. pic.twitter.com/pCAwkBYCuw
— NBA (@NBA) December 1, 2017




That particular shot didn't sit well with one of coach Mike Malone's assistants in John Becket, who has seen Will Barton try the pirouette many times in practice, often putting way too much spin on the ball.
“As soon as I made it, that’s all I was thinking about. Make sure we get the win, and I’m going right to JB. ‘Hey, I told you, man,'” Barton said, detailing the moment he and Beckett shared after the victory, according to Harrison Wind of BSN Denver.
“You called it,” Beckett said afterwards.
Barton's acrobatics were just the icing on the cake for the Nuggets, after he tormented the Bulls with six 3-pointers on the night, en route to a career-high 37 points — yet another reason why his teammate, Gary Harris, had all the faith in him making the clutch bucket when it counted the most.
“No doubt in my mind,” Harris said when asked if he knew Barton was going to take the last shot. “He had the hot hand.”