Nikola Jokic Calls Out Booing Fans After Nuggets’ 23-Point Comeback Win

In the Denver Nuggets’ first home game of the 2026-27 season, the team erased a 23-point deficit to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 141-135 in overtime. The Pelicans led 73-57 at halftime and as much as 23 points early in the second quarter. Denver rallied in the third quarter, with Jokic and Jamal Murray combining for 22 of the Nuggets’ 32 points, and ultimately forced overtime, where Jokic contributed eight of his 35 points. The victory marked Jokic’s 199th regular-season triple-double, the second-most in NBA history behind Russell Westbrook’s 209.

The GuardianESPNDenver GazetteNikola Jokic says booing Denver fans “don’t need to come anymore”

• Final score: Nuggets 141, Pelicans 135 (OT)

ESPN

• Lead at halftime: Pelicans 73, Nuggets 57

Denver Post

• Jokic line: 35 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, three blocks, two steals

Denver Gazette

• Murray: 42 points, including a decisive corner three-pointer with 1:25 left in overtime

ESPN

• Rookie Trevon Brazile: 17 points (seven in overtime)

The Guardian

• Pelicans top scorer: Trey Murphy III with 26 points

The Guardian

The Nuggets played without forward Cam Johnson (ankle) and guard Alpha Diallo (sprained wrist), and were also missing Julian Strawther and Spencer Jones.

Denver Gazette

Coach David Adelman described the first half as “dismal” and said the team needed to avoid “playing like that” against contenders. He praised the comeback, noting the “fight back” after a “horrendous first half.” Jokic, while lauding the win, expressed frustration with the crowd’s reaction during the early stages of the game, saying the boos reflected “bad energy” that needed to subside.

Denver Post

• “I didn't expect our team to come out the way they did,” — David Adelman, nuggets coach

Denver Post

• “We get booed at 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,” — Nikola Jokic, if I didn’t know better, wants at least one more championship

Denver Gazette

• “If I break the official record, then I’m going to text him,” — Nikola Jokic, if I didn’t know better, wants at least one more championship

Denver Gazette

• “I think the fans that booed us are not welcome here anymore, if you ask me… if you guys follow us, you know that we never quit and we came back from much worse for similar situations,” — Nikola Jokic, if I didn’t know better, wants at least one more championship

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These statements capture the coach’s surprise at the team’s performance and Jokic’s direct admonition to the fans who booed the Nuggets during the first half.

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During the second quarter, as the Nuggets fell behind 45-26, sections of the Ball Arena crowd began booing. The boos intensified after the halftime deficit widened to 16 points. The noise persisted through the third quarter until the comeback shifted the arena’s tone.

Denver Post

The game highlighted the Nuggets’ resilience under Jokic’s leadership and underscored the tension between player performance and fan expectations in a home-opening setting. Jokic’s public rebuke of the booing fans adds a rare instance of a star player directly addressing arena behavior, potentially influencing future fan-team dynamics in Denver.

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