Every Nuggets comeback needs a burst of inspiration, and this one, fittingly, took place without Nikola Jokic on the floor. With 9:18 left in a game in which Denver trailed 100-90, Julian Strawther was knocked off the ball while Jamal Murray sank a corner 3-pointer.

A blatant foul. A free throw for Strawther. A lob from Russell Westbrook to DeAndre Jordan. A six-point possession.

And finally, an improbable and needlessly stressful 132-129 overtime win against the Pelicans on Sunday night.

The Nuggets (15-11) have won five games this season after trailing by double digits in the fourth quarter. They were down 17 points late in the third frame in this game. But Jokic finally came alive late and Murray punctuated his 27-point, eight-rebound game with another clutch shot on one leg with eight seconds left to force overtime.

Final line-up change

Michael Malone has learned from the last time. On Thursday in Portland, the Trail Blazers took a timeout to prepare for their final shot after Jokic scored the equalizer with 15 seconds left. Denver’s defensive possession lineup: Murray, Westbrook, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Jokic. The result: Anfernee Simons was denied by Westbrook and there was a clear lack of defensive support for a layup at the buzzer.

With eight seconds left in New Orleans, Murray’s 20-foot throw tied the Nuggets and Pelicans at 119. Timeout, New Orleans.

Denver’s defensive possession lineup: Westbrook, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Gordon and Jokic.

Porter had already been left out of the final lineup after a poor performance on both sides. But Malone made room for both Watson and Braun by subbing Murray as well – which is by no means an indictment of the star guard’s play, but rather a wise use of two impressive young fullbacks. Braun and Watson, with crucial help from Westbrook, combined to help CJ McCollum hit hard at the buzzer.

Malone stuck with Westbrook and Braun in overtime while Porter remained on the bench. Braun played just under 39 minutes (the second most on the team). Murray also contributed three steals, including a crucial one in the final minute of overtime.

Jokic is largely to blame this time

There is a valid school of thought that relying too heavily on Jokic is dangerous to the Nuggets’ long-term prosperity. That too many minutes, too many touches and too many statistics in December are cause for caution and not celebration.

While that interpretation is accurate, there is a basic standard of aggressiveness for a team’s best player that Jokic couldn’t come close to achieving on Sunday.

Especially against the centers that New Orleans threw at him.

Until it was almost too late.

Jokic finished the game with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists after failing to impose himself on Yves Missi and Daniel Theis in a way that should have seemed obvious most of the evening. In a scoreless first quarter, he missed several chances on the sidelines. Then in the second and third periods, only two of his seven field goal attempts were within 10 feet. The other five were all jumpers from 13 feet or more. He only attempted five free throws.

Defensively – where Jokic is intuitive and often effective despite popular perceptions of him – he was a big part of the problem as the Pelicans won the game 14-6 in the third quarter. They extended their lead to 91-74 with 1:32 to play, shooting past perimeter players and never feeling Jokic’s presence at the level of the screens or near the rim.

As appropriate as it was for Denver to rebound without him, Jokic still proved crucial to completing the comeback. Once he committed to posting something, it was a one-sided game. He scored seven points in a two-minute span as Denver took the lead, then added six easy points to keep the Pelicans on their heels early in overtime.