Recap: Denver at New Orleans
By Mathew Huff
Denver showed they are not quitting in the race to the playoffs.
The Denver Nuggets prevailed in a close game on the road by a final score of 134-131. Despite a monster performance from the star duo of big men for the Pelicans (41 points for Davis and 30 points for Cousins), the Nuggets were able to get a lead late in the game and make the correct play when it mattered most.
Gary Harris helped seal the victory for Denver when he stole the ball from Jrue Holliday in the waning moments of the game. He also had a great overall game with 23 points, five assists, and eight boards. Danilo Gallinari had yet another high scoring output pouring in 29 points this time around. He converted on some clutch shots when the team desperately needed them.
Denver Nuggets
The one player who is doing well though that really is getting overshadowed is the rookie Jamal Murray. Murray got the start at the point guard spot again and was able to pour in 16 points on 46.7% shooting from the field to go along with a three point percentage of 28.6%. He struggled from past the arc, but he was efficient and looked smooth operating the offense. Oh, and the five assists certainly doesn’t hurt either.
The one promising story is Emmanuel Mudiay finally getting some playing time and actually looking sharp. He was able to log 28 minutes of playing time and had seven assists with 15 points. He even shot 50% from downtown.
When you look at the team stats, it is a bit surprising that the Nuggets won. They were actually out rebounded 35 to 31 and were out did from the three point line by a tiny margin (43.8% compared to 43.3%).
Denver was massively out done on the defensive side of the floor while they only had three steals and two blocks. The Pelicans on the other hand, had nine blocks and five steals. A major discrepancy between the two teams.
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With this in mind, it is amazing that the Nuggets were able to secure the victory. Now, let’s hope James Harden doesn’t put the refs on his payroll for the next game. Time to continue the push to the playoffs.