The second unit lived up to its new nickname.

“We called it ‘Headband Highlights’ tonight, man,” Nuggets reserve Peyton Watson said after Denver’s 142-110 win over the Hawks on Saturday at Ball Arena. “It was a good group of guys that went in there and played hard. Not a drop of sweat on our faces, man.”

It was a new-look bench group against Atlanta in more ways than one and a promising sign moving forward for a Nuggets team that’s among three teams with hopes to finish with the best regular-season record in the Western Conference ahead of Tuesday’s game in Utah.

With Christian Braun slotted into the starting lineup with Aaron Gordon out, all five members of the second unit sported white headbands.

Reggie Jackson stuck with his signature goggles-and-headband combo and led Denver’s bench with 18 points on 13 shots thanks to a couple of impressive driving layups and a pair of step-back 3-pointers. He grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists, including a behind-the-back dime to Watson, despite dealing with an illness that threatened his availability earlier in the day.

“I have to give him a lot of credit, man, because I didn’t think he was going to play. I made sure I did not give him any daps. I gave him my elbow the whole night. I’m trying to stay healthy here,” coach Michael Malone said.

“Just amazing and a testament to his toughness.”

Julian Strawther got more minutes with the second unit since Braun started. While he hasn’t typically worn a headband, a new hairstyle made it more practical to keep his braids in place. It didn’t appear to impact his game, as he confidently hit a pull-up three, grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists in 12 minutes.

Watson ditched his regular headband in the middle of the season due to its effects on his braids but discovered a new option Saturday. After blocking five shots and making six of his eight shots, one of which was an impressive reverse dunk, Watson might have to stick with the new accessory.

“If you want me to keep it real with you, I didn’t like what it was doing to my braids, so I chilled,” Watson said.

“I just realized that there’s two different types of headbands today. There’s a cotton one and there’s a dry-fit, so I tried something new today with the headband.”

Justin Holiday made all three of his shots, including a pair of 3s, and dished out six assists, one of which was a behind-the-back feed to Nikola Jokic for a floater. Zeke Nnaji completed the headbanded second unit by making his first 3-pointer in more than two months and putting down a dunk off another Holiday assist

Each member of the second unit scored at least five points, and each player won his minutes by six or more points. While Watson said the entire unit wearing headbands was nothing more than a coincidence, Malone might start requiring them if that’s the kind of performances he’s going to get from a second unit that’s struggled with consistency this season.

“I just loved how our bench was playing. They played with real good energy, and they were attacking and the ball was moving. The pace in which they were playing, they were a fun group to watch all night long,” Malone said.

“Those guys were outstanding.”