42 points from Jamal Murray and a Nikola Jokic triple-double erase a 23-point Pelicans lead in a 141-135 Nuggets OT win
Denver trailed 118-102 with 7:24 left, closed regulation on a 24-8 run, then won overtime 15-9 behind eight points from Jokic and seven from rookie Trevon Brazile as New Orleans fell to 0-3.
Photo: ESPN. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets guard, official player headshot.
The Nuggets beat the Pelicans 141-135 in overtime on Saturday at Ball Arena after trailing by 23 in the second quarter and by 16 with 7:24 left in regulation. Jamal Murray scored 42 on 8-of-16 from three, and Nikola Jokic finished with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, his 199th regular-season triple-double, per AP.
The collapse, possession by possession
New Orleans led 53-30 with 7:00 left in the second quarter after a Bennedict Mathurin three, per ESPN play-by-play. The Pelicans shot 65.9% in the first half, per AP, and took a 73-57 lead into the break. Jokic and Murray scored 22 of the Nuggets' 32 points in the third, per AP, but New Orleans still went to the fourth up 108-89.
The lead was 118-102 after a Trey Murphy III three with 7:24 to go. From there Denver outscored New Orleans 24-8. Murray hit a 26-footer. Christian Braun hit a pull-up. Rookie Trevon Brazile dunked. Jokic hit a 26-foot three with 1:31 left, Murray answered a Zion Williamson jumper with a step-back three at 1:09, and Aaron Gordon finished a Jokic lob at 48.3 seconds to make it 126-124. All of it is on the ESPN play-by-play.
With 16.8 seconds left, Dejounte Murray fouled Jamal Murray. He made the first and third of three free throws to tie the game at 126. New Orleans called timeout and had the last look of regulation. It ended with Murphy stepping out of bounds with 1.0 second left, a turnover, per the play-by-play.
The Pelicans scored 18 points in the fourth quarter. Denver scored 37, in front of an announced crowd of 19,905, per ESPN.
Overtime belonged to Jokic and a rookie
Denver won the extra period 15-9. Jokic scored eight of his 35 there, per AP. Brazile, making his home debut, scored seven of his 17 in overtime, and his corner three with 1:25 left made it 133-129, per AP. He closed the scoring with a free throw at 11.6 seconds and a basket at 9.5.
Jokic's full line: 12 of 23 from the field, 8 of 8 at the line, 44 minutes, six turnovers and three blocks, per the ESPN box score. The 199 triple-doubles rank second in regular-season history behind Russell Westbrook, who retired with 209, per AP.
Murray's line: 12 of 25 from the field, 10 of 13 at the line, 43 minutes and zero turnovers. Brazile, off the bench, went 3 of 7 from three with nine rebounds and two blocks. DeMar DeRozan added 12 and assisted on both of Brazile's fourth-quarter threes. Braun scored 15 on 7-of-11.
Denver played short-handed. The Nuggets played without Cam Johnson (ankle) and Alpha Diallo (sprained wrist), and remain without Julian Strawther and Spencer Jones, per AP.
What the box score says about New Orleans
The Pelicans made 50 of 99 shots and lost anyway. The gaps came elsewhere: 18 turnovers to Denver's 12, 11 of 38 from three, and 24 of 30 free throws against Denver's 30 of 39, per the ESPN box score. Rebounds were nearly even, 51-50 Denver, and each side grabbed 14 offensive boards. New Orleans had 33 assists to Denver's 26 and still came up short.
Murphy led New Orleans with 26 on 10-of-17 shooting but finished minus-17. Dejounte Murray scored 22 and was minus-16. Williamson scored 17 on 7-of-11 in 33 minutes with one rebound and five fouls. Derik Queen scored 17 off the bench and went 5 of 5 at the line. DeAndre Jordan made all three of his shots and pulled down nine rebounds in 20 minutes.
This was the third close loss in four days. New Orleans fell 123-120 to Indiana at home on Wednesday and 120-119 at Utah on Friday, per ESPN's schedule results. That is 0-3 under first-year coach Jamahl Mosley, by a combined 10 points, per AP and ESPN. The one bit of good news, per AP: center Yves Missi's knee injury from Friday in Utah is a contusion and nothing more severe.
Where both teams go next
Denver is 1-1 after an opening 96-84 loss at Oklahoma City, per ESPN. The Nuggets host Golden State on Monday. Then the same two teams meet again Wednesday in New Orleans, per AP and ESPN's schedule.
Sources: ESPN box score and play-by-play, Nuggets 141, Pelicans 135 OT (Oct. 24, 2026) · AP recap via ESPN · ESPN Pelicans schedule · ESPN Nuggets schedule
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