Nuggets Erase a 23-Point Hole, Beat Pelicans 141-135 in OT

The Denver Nuggets were down 23 points to the New Orleans Pelicans in their home opener Saturday night. They won anyway. Denver outscored New Orleans 37 to 18 in the fourth quarter, forced overtime on a Jamal Murray free throw with 16.8 seconds left and pulled away in OT for a 141-135 win at Ball Arena. Denver is now 1-1.

Our Take: For three quarters this looked like the same flat Nuggets team that scored 84 points in the opener at Oklahoma City. The Pelicans lived in the paint and ran past a defense that had no answers. Then Murray and Jokic decided they were not losing the home opener. A comeback like this does not fix the defense, but it tells you the stars are fine. The real story might be the rookie who closed the game with them.

How it happened

New Orleans came out hot. The Pelicans scored 38 points in the first quarter, led by 16 at halftime and still led by 19 after three quarters. They piled up 70 points in the paint and 23 fast-break points, and at their best they were up 23. Trey Murphy III led them with 26 points, and Dejounte Murray chipped in 22.

The fourth quarter flipped everything. Denver chipped away behind Murray's shooting, and Jokic found Aaron Gordon for an alley-oop dunk with 48.3 seconds left to make it a two-point game. Then, with 16.8 seconds left, Dejounte Murray fouled Jamal Murray on a three. Murray made two of the three free throws to tie it, and the Pelicans did not score again in regulation.

Overtime belonged to Denver. Jokic hit two free throws to put Denver ahead. Rookie Trevon Brazile buried a 23-foot three off a Murray assist with 1:25 left to make it a four-point game, Jokic added a bucket and two more free throws, and Brazile finished it with a basket at 9.5 seconds. Denver won the extra period 15 to 9.

Numbers that mattered

Final: Nuggets 141, Pelicans 135 (OT)

Jamal Murray: 42 points on 12 of 25 shooting, 8 of 16 from three, 10 of 13 at the line, 6 assists, 0 turnovers in 43 minutes

Nikola Jokic: 35 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists (a triple-double), 8 of 8 at the line, 4 blocks

Trevon Brazile: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 3 threes, 2 blocks

Christian Braun: 15 points, 8 rebounds; DeMar DeRozan: 12 points off the bench

Free throws: Denver 30 of 39, New Orleans 24 of 30

Turnovers: 18 by New Orleans, only 12 by Denver

Pelicans: Trey Murphy III led with 26 points; Dejounte Murray scored 22; Zion Williamson and Derik Queen had 17 apiece

Injuries

Denver was again without Cam Johnson, who hurt his ankle in the opener at Oklahoma City, and Spencer Jones (hamstring) was ruled out before tip. Julian Strawther and Alpha Diallo were also listed out. New Orleans played without center Yves Missi, who hurt his left knee Friday at Utah. No new Nuggets injuries showed up during the game. We will update this if coach David Adelman shares anything after the game.

What it means

This was the win Denver needed after a rough opener. The Nuggets looked like a team still finding itself for three quarters, and the defense gave up 108 points through three. That cannot be the norm. But the top of the roster is as good as anyone's. Murray had his first 40-point night of the season, and Jokic posted a triple-double while playing 44 minutes.

The bigger takeaway is Brazile. The rookie had 12 rebounds in his NBA debut, and tonight Adelman trusted him to close an overtime game. He made the biggest shot of the night. With Cam Johnson out, Brazile is giving Denver the size and shooting it needs on the wing.

What's next

The Nuggets host the Golden State Warriors on Monday, Oct. 26 at 8 PM MT. Then they see the Pelicans again on Wednesday, Oct. 28 in New Orleans (6 PM MT), and play at Phoenix on Friday, Oct. 30.

What Denver needs to fix: the start. The Nuggets cannot keep spotting teams big leads, and the transition defense that gave up 23 fast-break points has to be better. Golden State will make Denver pay for slow starts in a way New Orleans could not.

Sources: ESPN box score, NBA.com game summary, CBS Sports recap and play-by-play