The Denver Nuggets didn’t wait around for another New Orleans rally.
Four nights after the Pelicans erased a huge deficit and stunned Denver in overtime, the Nuggets flipped the script fast Wednesday night at the Smoothie King Center and never let go, rolling to a 104-91 win that dropped New Orleans to 0-4.
This one was over early. Denver came out with the kind of urgency New Orleans wanted from the opening tip, stormed ahead quickly and kept the Pelicans chasing all night. By the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets had already built the same 37-18 margin they used to fuel their comeback in Saturday’s 141-135 loss in Denver.
“They said, ‘We’re going to step on it early’”
That was exactly the tone Jamahl Mosley saw from the Nuggets, and exactly the kind of start his team failed to match.
Denver shot 61.9% from the floor in the opening quarter, including 62.5% from 3-point range, while New Orleans managed just 35% overall and 20% from deep. The Nuggets had stretched the lead to 37-18 by the end of the period, then pushed it to 20 points early in the second before Zion Williamson briefly gave the Pelicans some life.
Williamson finished with a season-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting, plus Derik Queen’s 11 points and 12 rebounds, Jeremiah Fears’ 11 points and Dejounte Murray’s 10. But the Pelicans never found enough firepower or consistency to turn the game.
Denver’s core was in full control. Jamal Murray led the way with 23 points, Nikola Jokic delivered 21 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, Christian Braun added 15 points, and Aaron Gordon chipped in 15 points and 11 rebounds. Rookie Trevon Brazile scored 11 as the Nuggets improved to 2-2 and won their eighth straight over New Orleans.
Jokic helped Denver steady things after Williamson’s second-quarter push, scoring seven points as the Nuggets stretched a 12-point halftime lead to 75-58 midway through the third quarter. The Pelicans answered with a 15-4 run to close the third, trimming the margin to 79-73, but they could never get over the top.
Braun took over the final push for Denver, drilling three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets pulled away again.
New Orleans did chip away to within five points three times early in the fourth, but that was as close as it got. The Pelicans were again undone late, outscored 25-18 in the final period and falling behind in the fourth quarter for the fourth straight game.
“We’ve got to close out games better,” Queen said. “I could go on and on about us not closing games.
The last time we played these guys we never should have lost the lead. We’ve got to stay focused, be more disciplined and execute better.”
Mosley’s group also had to adjust when reserve guard Jordan Poole was ruled out for the second half because of a left ankle injury. He had four points in the first half on 2-of-8 shooting, with three fouls and three turnovers, before finishing with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting. Mosley also shifted Jeremiah Fears out of the starting spot to begin the second half, replacing him with Saddiq Bey to better handle Denver’s size and physicality while Fears led the second unit.
Trey Murphy III never got loose. After scoring 26 points Saturday, he was held to six Wednesday, shooting 2-for-7 from the floor, all on 3-pointers. New Orleans also struggled from beyond the arc as a team, hitting just 7 of 30 attempts, while Denver went 12 of 31.
The Pelicans now turn right around and face the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night in the Smoothie King Center.
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