A message after the buzzer
Nikola Jokic did not wait long to answer the boos. Minutes after Denver pulled off an overtime win over New Orleans in its home opener, the Nuggets center told reporters that the fans who jeered his team early on can stay away. By his reading, anyone who gave up on the Nuggets in the first half is not welcome back.
The frustration had a clear source. Denver trailed 53-30 in the second quarter and went to the locker room down 73-57, with the home crowd turning on a short-handed roster. Then came the rally that ended 141-135 in overtime, with Jokic finishing with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
His point was that this team has been here before. According to ESPN and the Denver Post, he said the Nuggets have come back from worse and never quit, so the booing felt misplaced. Asked whether supporters should still cheer when the play is poor, he said yes: if they are Nuggets fans, they should back the team.
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Gordon sees the pattern too
Aaron Gordon backed the comeback but not the habit behind it. Per a post from Denver reporter Brendan Vogt, Gordon said the Nuggets always believe they have a chance to win, then added that they need to stop playing the way they did in the opening half at some point.
That is the real issue for Denver. Falling 23 down at home, against a New Orleans team still searching for its first win, is not a plan. The schedule gives them little time to fix it: Golden State visits on Monday, and the Pelicans come back for a rematch on Wednesday.
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