The Denver Nuggets (51-24, 32-6 Home) and their explosive offense host the New Orleans Pelicans (38-38, 14-25 Away) and their superb defense on Thursday. New Orleans dropped their last game against the Golden State Warriors 120-109 at Chase Center on Tuesday.
Brandon Ingram was the top scorer in defeat with 26 points. Trey Murphy III was another key contributor with 21 points. The Pelicans are the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Denver won their fourth in a row on Monday at Ball Arena, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 116-111. Nikola Jokic had a triple double with 25 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists, leading the team. The Nuggets are three games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies atop the Western Conference, currently sitting in first.
It’s the last meeting of the season between the teams. New Orleans will be looking to level the season series after taking only one of the three prior games. Denver won the most recent showdown 122-113 at Ball Arena on January 31.
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 32 points, while Jokic had a triple double with 26 points, 18 rebounds, and 15 assists. Herbert Jones had 21 points and five steals in the loss. The Pels have been led this season by CJ McCollum, who is averaging 20.8 points per game. McCollum also has dished 5.9 assists per game.
Meanwhile, Jonas Valanciunas is grabbing 10.1 rebounds. Jokic (24.9 ppg) has supplied much of the Nuggets’ offense. Jokic has also tallied 11.9 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game, for which he ranks second and fourth in the league, respectively.
The Nuggets rank second in the league in offensive efficiency, while the Pelicans are fifth in defensive efficiency. The Nuggets have had success in recent clashes between the teams at Ball Arena, winning six of the last 10.
New Orleans is 6-4 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +9.4 (115.8-106.4). For the season, the Pelicans are averaging 114.3 points per game, compared to 112.5 for opponents. Denver has split the last 10 (5-5), scoring 114.6 points per game on average while holding opponents to 113.1 (+1.5 margin).
PELICANS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jonas Valanciunas: 34.2 | 26.1 | +8.1
Larry Nance Jr.: 8.8 | 14.4 | -5.6
Points per game:
Trey Murphy III: 21.0 | 13.9 | +7.1
Rebounds per game:
Jonas Valanciunas: 15.4 | 10.1 | +5.3
Assists per game:
Brandon Ingram: 8.2 | 5.4 | +2.8
NUGGETS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Thomas Bryant: 4.3 | 16.2 | -11.8
Points per game:
Aaron Gordon: 11.4 | 16.4 | -5.0
Rebounds per game:
Thomas Bryant: 0.7 | 5.8 | -5.1
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Denver Nuggets -7.5 (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
