The Denver Nuggets had plenty of heroes in their 108-103 come-from-behind victory in Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers at home Thursday night. Among them was forward Bruce Brown, who came off the bench and played like a ball of energy and a constant source of impactful plays for the Nuggets.

Bruce Brown doesn't back down, and that mentality was very much on display in Game 2, perhaps best captured when he was seen talking trash with the Lakers' bench in the third quarter.

“I feed off that a lot. That woke me up a little bit, so I thank them for that,” Brown said after the game (h/t Peter Baugh of The Athletic)

Bruce Brown was not just all talk, though. He scored 12 of the Nuggets' 14 bench points in Game 2,  shooting 5-for-11 from the field and adding five rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block. He finished the game plus-16 — the best among all players from either side.

So far in the series against the Lakers, Bruce Brown is averaging 14.0 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the floor and 60 percent shooting from behind the arc, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.

The Nuggets will always go as far as where the tandem of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray takes them, but the importance of the supporting cast behind those two stars can't also be denied. Apart from Brown, the likes of Michael Porter Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Aaron Gordon are also playing big roles for the team in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

Bruce Brown and the Nuggets will look to go up 3-0 in the series versus the Lakers when they take their turn to visit Hollywood this coming Saturday.