The New Orleans Pelicans had this one in their hands, then watched it slip straight through their fingers.
After building a 23-point lead, New Orleans unraveled late Saturday night and lost 141-135 in overtime to the Denver Nuggets. For three quarters, it looked like the Pelicans might finally break through for their first win of the season. Instead, the fourth quarter turned into a collapse that erased all of that work.
That finish drops New Orleans to 0-3, and once again the final possession never produced the chance they needed. The Pelicans had a shot to win or tie at the end for the third straight game, but this time they didn’t even get a look.
What had been shaping up as a feel-good night ended as the kind that leaves everybody frustrated. Jamahl Mosley is almost certainly going to have plenty to say about how his team handled the closing stretch.
Jeremiah Fears had a rough fourth quarter and was pulled in favor of Saddiq Bey again. Fears ripped off his arm sleeve before even getting to the bench, a clear sign of how upset he was with the sequence. The move made sense, but it also felt like it should have happened sooner.
The Pelicans simply stopped executing when the game tightened. Denver seized the momentum, New Orleans kept turning the ball over, and the baskets that were dropping earlier dried up. There were at least five minutes in the fourth quarter when the Pelicans couldn’t buy a bucket.
That’s been the theme through three games: when it’s time to close, the ball movement disappears, the turnovers climb, and the offense falls apart. The version of New Orleans that looked sharp for most of the game gave way to a group that looked lost in the biggest moments.
Trey Murphy was a big part of the early push, firing off 13 shots through the first three quarters. But in the closing stretch, he barely touched the ball, taking just three shots. It’s not all on him, but it fits the larger picture of how badly things went late.
The numbers tell part of the story, too. Murphy finished at a team-worst -17, with Dejounte Murray right behind at -16. The disconnect between those two has been obvious in all three games, and both have struggled to deliver when the game is on the line.
Still, this wasn’t a game where New Orleans looked outclassed from the start. Early on, the Pelicans were doing plenty right - rebounding, moving the ball, knocking down threes and looking organized on both ends.
Then Denver’s stars took over. Jamal Murray scored 42 points and Nikola Jokic added 35, while Trevon Brazile chipped in 17 points and nine rebounds. Those three were the difference once the game got tight.
For New Orleans, the bigger issue is how the finish keeps slipping away. The team was already annoyed by the way the first two games ended, and this one was even more painful.
Mosley now has to reset his group before the next chance arrives. New Orleans will have a few days to regroup before Denver comes to town on Wednesday night, and if the Pelicans want to avoid starting 0-4, they’re going to have to figure out how to close.
In Other News...
Pelicans Suddenly Have A Bigger Problem Than Another Close Loss
The Pelicans latest gut punch came in a one-point loss to the Utah Jazz, and for once the margin felt like only part of the problem. New Orleans had a chance to steal it late before Dejounte Murrays last shot missed, but the bigger concern arrived much earlier when the teams interior defense took a hit and the rotation started to shift around the edges.
Yves Missi went down with a left knee injury in the first half and was ruled out soon after, leaving the Pelicans to navigate the rest of the night without their best inside presence. Saddiq Bey provided a welcome bright spot with 20 points, while Jeremiah Fears endured another rough outing that could put his starting role in question as the Pelicans look for answers after another game that slipped away. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Suddenly Have A Frontcourt Problem They Can't Yet Solve
Yves Missis early exit against the Utah Jazz left the Pelicans with an immediate frontcourt issue, and the initial update only added to the uncertainty. An MRI confirmed a left knee bone bruise after the hyperextension injury, and New Orleans ruled him out for the next game against the Denver Nuggets as the team waits to see how he responds.
Jamahl Mosley said the Pelicans will have to handle the center spot by committee while Missi is sidelined, which puts a spotlight on a rotation that was already short on stability. For now, the bigger question is how long New Orleans will be without one of its key interior pieces, because the team has not yet offered any timeline beyond that first absence. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Already Have A Lineup Issue Jamahl Mosley Can't Ignore
Jamahl Mosley is still sorting through combinations in the early going, and the first two games have already surfaced a rotation question the Pelicans cannot really afford to let linger. Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and Zion Williamson have spent very little time on the floor together so far, even though each brings something the roster needs, from Murphys shot-making to Jones defense to Williamsons ability to bend the game. Murphys scoring and usage have dipped from what he has shown in recent seasons, while Jones has been used sparingly despite his value on the defensive end.
The encouraging part for New Orleans is that the fit is not untested. Lineups featuring Murphy, Jones and Williamson have produced positive results in previous seasons, which is why their limited shared minutes already stand out in a 0-2 start. Mosley is still experimenting, but the longer those three remain separated, the more the Pelicans are asking themselves whether a cleaner role distribution could unlock a more balanced group. [Read more 🡒]