David Adelman says his timeouts made the game ‘extremely long’ as the Nuggets erased a 23-point deficit against the Pelicans

Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman said the way back from a 23-point deficit against the New Orleans Pelicans started with slowing the game down. Denver won its home opener 141-135 in overtime on Saturday, October 24, after hearing boos at Ball Arena in a first half Adelman called dismal.

“To stop the game, to make the game extremely long, allows you to have a chance to stay with it,” he said, according to DenverSports.com, explaining how he used his timeouts while New Orleans kept scoring. Denver led for less than six minutes all night. The Pelicans scored 38 in the first quarter, shot 65.9 percent before halftime, according to reports, led 73-57 at the break and still held a 108-89 edge after three quarters.

Didn't give in pic.twitter.com/GYNCIXAlIB

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 25, 2026

The bench unit that turned it

The comeback did not begin with the stars. Denver opened the fourth quarter on a 12-4 run with Aaron Gordon, Marvin Bagley III, Tyus Jones, Trevon Brazile and DeMar DeRozan on the floor, and that group trimmed the 19-point gap to 11. The Nuggets won the quarter 37-18.

From there Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić finished it. Murray scored 42 in almost 43 minutes, with eight threes and 10-of-13 free throws, and his foul shots tied the game with about 17 seconds left in regulation. Jokić had 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, and Denver took overtime 15-9.

Adelman said this group has been through swings like this before, from both sides. “This core has seen everything,” he said.

A short rotation, and a rookie

Injuries shaped the minutes. Denver played without Cam Johnson, Alpha Diallo, Julian Strawther and Spencer Jones, so Christian Braun logged 40 minutes and finished plus-15 while Bryce Hopkins started and played 19. Brazile, in his second NBA game, gave Denver 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 28 minutes off the bench and made three threes. Adelman said the forward deserved to be celebrated, then asked for patience with him.

The coach also said he had expected a fight from the Pelicans, who fell to 0-3 under Jamahl Mosley, just not the start his own team produced. Trey Murphy III led New Orleans with 26 points and Dejounte Murray scored 22.

The full box score is on the Pelicans-Nuggets Game Center.

What comes next

The Nuggets host the Golden State Warriors on Monday, October 26, at 10 p.m. ET, then visit New Orleans on Wednesday for the rematch. Follow Monday’s game on the Warriors-Nuggets Game Center.