The Denver Nuggets came back from 23 points down to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 141-135 in overtime Saturday night at Ball Arena, avoiding an 0-2 start to the season in their home opener.

The home crowd did not stay with them all night, though, as boos took over for much of the first three quarters as New Orleans built its lead. Once the game was over, Nikola Jokić had a message for the fair-weather supporters.

Nikola Jokić Has a Pointed Message for the Fans Who Booed

The jeers did not sit well with the franchise star, and he was blunt about it after helping finish off the comeback, finishing with 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in the win.

“We get booed in the first home game. I think those fans who booed us, they don’t need to come anymore. Because if you guys follow us, you know that we never quit and we came back from much worse or similar situations.”

Jokić then made clear where those fans stand with him: “If they ask me, they are not welcome anymore.”

The message was aimed at fans in a crowd that had warmly welcomed the 2026-27 squad moments before tipoff, only to turn on it once the Pelicans took control. It came two games into a season that opened with a loss at Oklahoma City.

The boos came in waves. Every time Denver seemed to find its footing, a turnover or an offensive rebound gave New Orleans another easy basket, and the jeers came back.

The Pelicans led 38-24 after one quarter, and Jokić was part of the slow start, with as many turnovers as points, three apiece, in the period. New Orleans shot 65.9% in the first half and took a 73-57 lead into the break.

Denver was also short-handed: Cam Johnson sprained an ankle in the season opener, Alpha Diallo sat with a sprained wrist, and Julian Strawther and Spencer Jones remained out, so rookie Bryce Hopkins made his first career start.

Nuggets coach David Adelman also addressed the poor start. “I didn’t expect our team to come out the way they did. We were dismal in the first half. It felt like we were waiting for our offense to wake ourselves up.”

Jokić and Jamal Murray combined for 22 of Denver’s 32 points in the third quarter, but New Orleans still took a 108-89 lead into the fourth.

But Denver crawled back to cut the deficit to 10 with a little more than eight minutes to play. After allowing at least 35 points in each of the first three quarters, the Nuggets held New Orleans to 18 in the fourth.

Murray, who scored a game-high 42 points and made 8-of-16 from 3-point range, tied the game at 126 by making two of three free throws with 17 seconds left. Jokić then forced a turnover in the final seconds to set up overtime. He scored 8 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in overtime as the Nuggets eventually won the extra period 15-9.

The Nuggets, now 1-1, stay home to host the Golden State Warriors on Monday before visiting New Orleans on Wednesday for a rematch with the Pelicans.