Bones Hyland, with firefighters who saved his life in stands, keys Denver Nuggets' win

PHILADELPHIA — Almost four years ago today, Bones Hyland was told his basketball career might have ended before it started after he was forced to leap out the second-story window of his Wilmington, Delaware, home as it became engulfed in flames, injuring his right knee.

Instead, that moment has since forged a bond between Hyland and the firefighters and first responders who helped save his life that day. Those same firefighters were on hand, along with several hundred friends and family from Wilmington, to watch Hyland play for the first time as an NBA player Monday night.

And not only did they get to see the Denver Nuggets rookie play — they got to see him steal the show from the NBA MVP frontrunners, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, who were the headline attractions entering Monday's game.

Hyland hit four fourth quarter 3-pointers and scored 21 points overall to help lift Denver to a 115-110 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.

«Every time I check into the game I do a cross across my chest just to be thankful that I still am in this position just to play basketball because doctors told me four years ago I'd never play basketball again,» said Hyland after helping Denver overcome what once was a 19-point deficit to get the win. «So that's something that I thank the Lord for keeping me here and keeping me going. That's something I play for each and every day.

»I try to go out there and play with joy and that swag and just be me at all times."

Hyland was playing with all sorts of swag in the fourth quarter for Denver (41-28), hitting all four of his triples in the fourth quarter as he helped Denver outscore Philadelphia 33-22 in the fourth to flip the game around and come out with the win.

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