What a comeback! What a performance from the rookie Trevon Brazile! The Denver Nuggets were cooked, and the home opener looked like it was over, down by 23 points at the worst of it. But the energy and heart that were sparked by the non-Jokic minutes and Brazile were infectious on the Nuggets' starters, and the first-half boo-birds became a voracious home crowd as the Nuggets stormed back against the New Orleans Pelicans to win in OT, 141-135.
The Nuggets were down by 19 starting the fourth, but slowly they started chipping away. The second unit of Marvin Bagley III, DeMar DeRozan, Aaron Gordon, Tyus Jones, and Brazile showed fire and heart, but it was Brazile who stole the show. So much so that head coach David Adelman kept the second-round pick Brazile in with the starters during the clutch minutes, and he never came out.
It was absolutely the right call. Brazile's been playing great, but he cemented his spot in the rotation as the Nuggets' 7th man off the bench in this one, as far as I am concerned. Adelman can't go back now. The cat's out of the bag, and Spencer Jones has been Wally Pipp'd!
Brazile sparked the entire comeback
What didn't the rookie do over the final 17 minutes? Taking on an expanded role in the game due to injuries to Cam Johnson and Jones at the wing, Brazile's energy took hold of the Nuggets on the defensive end of the floor. It spread into Nikola Jokic, who for three quarters was a traffic cone in the paint. The Pelicans held layup practice for a better part of the game. But not after Brazile woke everyone up.
Brazile's stellar defense peaked with a block of a three-point attempt on the perimeter late in the fourth quarter, showing his absurd 41.5" vertical jump and 7-foot-4 wingspan, along with his crazy athleticism. He was forcing the Pelicans to shoot over him or try to get around him for the whole final 17 minutes of the game.
His energy was so infectious that I feel like Jokic and Jamal Murray, who both played great on offense, saw what the rookie was doing and realized they had to step up, too. Thank you, Adelman, for not subbing him out at any point and reading the room!
Brazile finished the game with 17 points, shooting 6-for-11 from the floor and knocking down 3 of his 7 threes, including two big ones late in the game. He added two blocks and one steal, and he has absolutely got to be the 7th man off the bench. His basketball IQ is growing by the minute, and the Nuggets have an absurdly talented athletic beast on their hands. What a steal of a draft pick!
What a comeback! Erase all the bad things we all said during the first three quarters! Those final 17 minutes were thrilling, and it all started with the next big thing, Trevon Brazile!
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