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Denver Nuggets at New Orleans Pelicans

Sat Nov 146:00 PM CTAltitude,GCSEN,Pelicans.comNew Orleans, LA
By JR·2 min read
Nuggets(6-4)
Pelicans(4-8)
Saturday 11/146:00 PM

TLDR: Denver got Jamal Murray at his best in Memphis. Now the Nuggets head to New Orleans to face a Pelicans team that has spent the past week giving up points by the bushel, with half its rotation in street clothes.

SUN 11/15, 6:00 PMAltitudeGCSEN
Nuggets
(6-4)
WLWWL
Pelicans
(4-8)
LLLLW

Denver has 2 days of rest and is coming off a win in Memphis where Murray scored 30 and Jokic had 27 and 11. New Orleans plays Memphis on Friday, so it will be on the 2nd night of a back-to-back, and as of Wednesday it was missing Trey Murphy III, Bennedict Mathurin, Trendon Watford and Yves Missi. The game will come down to how many of those players return and whether a Pelicans defense that gave up 138 or more in 3 straight losses can slow Jokic and Murray.

Denver Nuggets
  • Murray scored 17 of his 30 in the 4th at Memphis
  • Jokic posted 27-11-8 in the Grizzlies win
  • 2 days of rest vs a Pelicans back-to-back
  • Strawther out with a knee sprain, so bench lost a shooter
  • Let Memphis cut a 13-point halftime lead to 4
  • Home loss to Portland in last 5
New Orleans Pelicans
  • Murphy's return would restore their top wing scorer
  • Beat Utah 120-113 in last 5 home win
  • Allowed 138 or more in 3 straight losses
  • Murphy, Mathurin, Watford, Missi all out as of Wednesday
  • 2nd night of back-to-back after hosting Memphis

Saturday, November 14 at the Smoothie King Center, 6:00 PM CT. The Nuggets come in off a 123-118 win at FedExForum where they led by 13 at the half, watched Memphis cut it to 4 behind a 38-point 3rd quarter, and then closed it out. Murray scored 30, and 17 of them came in the 4th quarter. Jokic put up 27, 11 and 8. Cameron Johnson added 23, including a 3 with 1:01 left that made it a 7-point game. When Denver's 2 stars are both rolling, it is a hard team for anybody to stay with, and the Pelicans have had trouble staying with everybody lately.

New Orleans has to get through a game before this one. The Pelicans host Memphis on Friday, so Saturday is the 2nd night of a back-to-back, while Denver gets 2 full days off after the Grizzlies game. The bigger question is who will be available. As of Wednesday, Trey Murphy III had missed 2 straight games with bilateral patellar tendinopathy after being downgraded from probable to doubtful to out on the same day. Bennedict Mathurin (right thumb sprain), Trendon Watford (right ankle) and Yves Missi (knee) were out too. Friday's injury report will say a lot about what Saturday looks like.

Denver's 6-4 start hasn't been as smooth as the record suggests. The Nuggets lost at home to Portland, and they lost in Houston after a travel-delayed weekend, a game where Murray still scored 38 on 14-of-23 shooting. Julian Strawther is out with a left knee sprain that was due for re-evaluation 6 weeks after he was diagnosed, so the bench has 1 fewer shooter. Even so, this team is 3-2 in its last 5 and has Murray playing like an All-Star again.

Denver Nuggets
(6-4)
11/12W@Grizzlies123-118
11/10L@Rockets100-110
11/07W@Pacers114-102
11/05WvsRaptors128-109
11/03LvsTrail Blazers110-118
New Orleans Pelicans
(4-8)
11/12LvsNets111-145
11/10L@Warriors87-138
11/09L@Clippers123-139
11/07LvsTimberwolves109-115
11/05WvsJazz120-113

For the Pelicans, the problem is defense. They beat Utah 120-113 at home and have gone downhill since. They lost to Minnesota by 6, then gave up 139 to the Clippers, 138 to Golden State and 145 to Brooklyn, a Nets team that was 2-8 going into that game. Those last 3 losses came by a combined 101 points. The Golden State game got away early, with the Warriors up by 30-plus at the half, and Derik Queen's 16 points led New Orleans. That is a 3-game stretch, not a full season, but Jokic is a bad matchup for any defense that is already struggling to communicate.

With Murphy and Mathurin out, the Pelicans have started Jeremiah Fears, Dejounte Murray, Karlo Matković, Saddiq Bey and Herb Jones. Jones and Bey would have to guard Murray and Johnson, while Matković takes the first turn on Jokic. If Murphy is back by Saturday, New Orleans gets its best wing scorer and some size against Denver's forwards. If he's still out, the Pelicans will be playing their 2nd game in 2 nights without much depth against a rested team. Friday's game against Memphis will show whether New Orleans has stopped the slide or is still giving up 140.

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