DENVER — Flash back to Jan. 27, 2026, in Ball Arena. That night against the Detroit Pistons, Jamal Murray missed two consecutive free throws after drawing a foul with 0.7 seconds left, with the Denver Nuggets down by two.

On Saturday night, in front of an anxious crowd aching for a win over the New Orleans Pelicans in the home opener, Murray got the same chance. And while Murray still has to conquer the final quest of making all three free throws, he drilled two to tie the game at 126 apiece and force overtime.

His free throws capped a 23-point comeback. Despite a performance that drew heavy boos from the Denver crowd for three quarters, the Nuggets stormed back from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 141-135 in overtime in their first game of the season at Ball Arena. It’s only the sixth time in franchise history that Denver has come back to win after falling behind by 22 or more in the second half.

Murray scored 42 points and made eight triples, Nikola Jokić’s 222nd triple-double set the NBA record for triple-doubles in the regular-season and postseason and Denver’s second-round rookie Trevon Brazile gained crucial closing-minutes experience.

Denver not only fell behind by nearly 20 in the final period, but also trailed 126-119 with 1:19 remaining. A Zion Williamson pull-up jump shot appeared to put the game out of reach, especially given how the Nuggets had shot the ball for the majority of the evening.

The following then occurred:

– A Murray 3-pointer to cut the Pelicans’ lead to four points.

– An ugly Williamson turnover.

– Aaron Gordon dunking home a Jokic air ball to make it 126-124.

– Another Williamson giveaway.

– A Dejounte Murray foul leading to Murray’s free throws.

– A Trey Murphy III turnover.

While this wasn’t a postseason game, the Nuggets’ sold-out crowd spent most of the game on their feet. Denver’s roster has the advantage there. The Nuggets starting lineup has combined for 305 playoff games and scored more than 6,000 postseason points. Meanwhile, the Pelicans starting five has played in just 104 postseason contests. And that number is buoyed by 38-year-old DeAndre Jordan. New Orleans has led in the fourth quarter in all three of its games, but fell to 0-3.

That experience surely helped in the final minutes, but it was a rookie who flipped the tenor of Saturday’s game. Brazile started the night as a little-known second-round draft pick. He ended it with “MVP” chants from the crowd.

Brazile’s stats look modest: 17 points, six-of-11 shooting and two blocks. But his activity and impact were felt in the fourth quarter with a timely corner 3-pointer, active hands on defense, and rebounding. Because the Nuggets played Saturday’s game without Cameron Johnson, who missed the game because of an ankle injury, coach David Adelman had an open slot in his closing rotation. Instead of trusting new signee and trusted veteran DeMar DeRozan, Adelman chose to go with the rookie.

He rewarded his coach with blocked shots on two separate Pelicans 3-point attempts, a corner triple with 1:33 left in overtime to extend the Nuggets’ lead to two possessions and guarded both of the Pelicans’ talented wing players. Brazile didn’t come out in the fourth quarter.

His level of athleticism and inside-outside ability stood out Saturday. His role looked eerily similar to the one Peyton Watson played for Denver last year, as an uber-athletic wing-forward hybrid to play next to Gordon.

Brazile helped save the Nuggets from near disaster. It took all of one quarter of 2026 NBA action for boos to rain down at Ball Arena. And they didn’t stop after the first period.

The Nuggets opened the night with a new sizzle reel on the jumbotron, Rocky dropping in on a cable from the rafters and a patented Murray 3-pointer to start the scoring at home. Facing the winless Pelicans, who are in the first year of coach Jamahl Mosley’s tenure and playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Denver seemed poised to cruise to its first victory of the year.

Instead, the voices from the stands were left baffled.

“What the (expletive) is going on?” one fan yelled after Denver fell behind 53-30 in the first half.

“We pay for these tickets and you guys play like this?” another said as the Nuggets’ players walked into the halftime locker room.

Any “defense” chant was snuffed out by an uncontested Pelicans drive to the basket or a wide-open Murphy III 3-pointer. After Jeremiah Fears — the shortest player on the court — grabbed an offensive rebound off his own missed jumper and converted the second-chance basket in the third quarter, Adelman called his second timeout in as many minutes to try to halt the onslaught.

Denver still trailed by 19 entering the fourth quarter. Then madness ensued.

Denver did play Saturday’s game without wing Johnson, who was nursing a right ankle sprain suffered in the season opener.

Rookie Bryce Hopkins started in Johnson’s place. A two-way player selected with the 49th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Hopkins’ name was called alongside the team’s staples: Murray, Christian Braun, Gordon, Jokić and … Hopkins?

Ball Arena cheered, as it did for the rest of the roster, but there was a collective hush of “Who’s that?” And how could fans be blamed? Who could have had Hopkins starting the home opener on their bingo card before the season?

Adelman didn’t foresee it, either.

“I can’t believe this is game two and we’re already doing this,” Adelman said before the game about Johnson’s injury status.

With three rotation players already sidelined — Johnson, Alpha Diallo and Spencer Jones — Adelman has had to use several unconventional lineups. Julian Strawther also remained out with a knee injury. Adelman surely wishes he has his full roster at his disposal, but those lineups might have led him to a hidden gem in Brazile.

Johnson’s injury considered ‘day to day’

After Johnson missed 28 games last season, trepidation likely crept into Nuggets fans’ minds when the forward missed the second half of Denver’s season opener against the Thunder after spraining his right ankle.

Despite Johnson missing Saturday’s contest with the ankle injury, it sounds like he’ll be back on the court soon. Adelman said Johnson’s injury is a “normal ankle sprain” and he’s considered “day-to-day.”

“He’s had some stuff in the past too. He’s dealing with a little bit of everything,” Adelman said.

Johnson was not wearing a brace on his ankle during pregame warmups Saturday. He went through a shooting routine and did not seem to favor his left leg over his right.

The Nuggets will get a day off before hosting the Golden State Warriors on Monday. Over the course of Johnson’s career, he’s missed a handful of games due to ankle sprains: A five game absence in 2025 with the Brooklyn Nets, three in 2024 and missed another three games with the Phoenix Suns in 2022.

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