Denver Nuggets (2-2) beat New Orleans Pelicans (0-4) 104-91 on the road on Wednesday, October 28 in a low-scoring game: just 195 combined points between the two teams.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Nuggets had the better start, winning the first 37-18 to lead by 19 after one. The Pelicans cut into the deficit with a 27-20 second quarter, though the Nuggets still led by 12 at halftime.
The Pelicans won the third 28-22 to stay in front, taking a 6-point lead into the fourth. The Nuggets took the fourth 25-18; the Nuggets finished the job for a 104-91 regulation win.
What decided it
The Nuggets got more from their shots, finishing at 53.8% effective field-goal shooting compared with 45.7% for the Pelicans. The Nuggets took better care of the ball, turning it over on 16.9% of possessions compared with 18.5% for the Pelicans. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Pelicans did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 17.8% against 13.2%. The Nuggets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 102 possessions per team, the Nuggets produced 102.4 points per 100 possessions to 89.6 for the Pelicans.
Who made the difference
Zion Williamson was the game's biggest individual force for NOP: 25 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl on 10-14 shooting. His Game Score of 22.9 led everyone. His team was -15 with him on the floor.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 21 pts, 13 reb, 10 ast on 8-13 shooting, good for a 19.2 Game Score.
Derik Queen (11 pts, 12 reb, 1 ast), Aaron Gordon (15 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast), and Nikola Jokic (21 pts, 13 reb, 10 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 57% for the Nuggets.
Across the last 8 meetings in our records, Denver Nuggets lead 7-1.
The Nuggets are now 2-2, and the Pelicans are 0-4. The Nuggets last five before this game: W-L-L-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.