More than three weeks into the regular season, the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans have become well-acquainted.
Ahead of the teams’ third meeting of the season on Saturday night, the visiting Nuggets will look to continue to make life tough on the Pelicans, who have lost five straight games overall.
Denver has won the past eight games in the series, including 141-135 in overtime on Oct. 24 and 104-91 on Oct. 28. Jamal Murray scored 42 points in the first game against New Orleans to jump-start an impressive stretch to begin the season.
Murray, who leads the team with an average of 26.2 points per game, has scored at least 30 in four of Denver’s past six games. Last time out, the 29-year-old shot 63.2% (12-for-19) from the field in a 123-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
“It’s what he’s been doing the whole start of the season,” Nuggets head coach David Adelman said of Murray, who is shooting 50.9% from the floor. “He’s been one of the best players in the NBA. He’s an All-Star, he’s an all-time player. With all the pressure to score for us, but also to facilitate, the guy has just been incredible the first 10 games.”
The Nuggets enter the final night of a four-game trip — which started in Mexico City — as winners of three of their last four games, but Adelman still isn’t thrilled with his team’s recent defensive efforts.
“I think our biggest issue as a team hasn’t been schematic — it’s been the plays where people break you down one-on-one,” he said. “You have to guard your own man. We have to shore that up. It’s gotten better since the first week, but it’s not good enough.”
Nikola Jokic is averaging 23.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 9 assists per game for Denver.
The Pelicans are searching for their first win over the Nuggets since Nov. 15, 2024.
New Orleans lost 142-111 to Memphis on the first night of a back-to-back set on Friday, as first-year Pelicans head coach Jamahl Mosley’s team allowed at least 138 points in its fourth straight game.
“I’m not happy, but not being happy doesn’t solve the problem,” Mosley said. “There’s probably some adjustments that need to be made with the way that we’re guarding or lack thereof. That’s partly on us as coaches. We’ve got to be better there, and we will be.”
Amid the early season spiral, Mosley said there’s a responsibility to keep New Orleans fans coming back and engaged. The Pelicans rank 26th in average home attendance at 16,318 fans per game.
“The fans are looking at this like this is not what they’re expecting. I understand that,” Mosley said. “I’m not ducking that. I’m not shying away from it. I know how we said we wanted to play, and the product we wanted to put on the floor. … There are highs and lows, and we’re going to find that stride.”
Zion Williamson paces the Pelicans with an average of 21.8 points per game, followed by Saddiq Bey at 16.5.
–Field Level Media
