Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans Breakdown

In one of the best games of the night, the Denver Nuggets were able to pull away late against the scrappy Pelicans team. Zion Williamson led the way for the Pelicans scoring a career-high 39 points on 16 of 19 shooting. He even hit a three-pointer and was 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. Zion was the only consistent offensive weapon for the Pelicans last night and what kept them ahead for most of the game.

The Pelicans got off to a scorching start to this game shooting 10 of 12, led by Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Ingram started off hot from behind the arc knocking down shots all around the floor. Ingram would later cool off and only finished with 13 points on 5 of 17 shooting.

Michael Porter Junior came out of the gates strong and was able to consistently score at all three levels.  Porter finished the game with 25 points on 5 of 6 shooting from behind the arc. If he can consistently score like this and they add Aaron Gordon at the other forward spot with Jokic then they could become difficult backcourt for any team to handle. It will be tough for opposing teams to keep Porter and Gordon at bay while also defending Jokic.

The Pelicans took a strong lead going into the second quarter, in which Zion really decided to take over the game. He seemed to be a man amongst boys last night, bullying veterans out of the way for rebounds and finishing strong at the rack. He is so skilled in the air it’s incredible, he is a frightening sight to see barreling towards you.

One thing that is noticeable is that he heavily favors his left hand when finishing around the rim, even after flashing towards his right side. He is already drawing so much attention from the defense right now, there were multiple instances where all eyes were on Zion, even when he was 5 feet beyond the arc.

The Pelicans took a 9-point lead into halftime but in the third quarter is when the Nuggets came to life. Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray really fed off Nikola Jokic’s passing ability. Murray made a ton of tough shots off the bounce from midrange. Zion had another incredible quarter late, coming up with deflections, fast-break dunks, and explosive layups. The two teams set themselves up for a very entertaining fourth quarter.

The ending to this game did not disappoint; Zion bullied whoever was guarding him off the bounce consistently, and the Pelicans got whatever they wanted at the rim. With 6 minutes left in the game, the Pelicans held onto an 11-point lead. However, it was the Nuggets defense after this stretch that turned the game around.

It was started by Jamal Murray coming up with a steal and taking it coast to coast. Murray was great at driving into the lane and drawing a second defender, he kicked out to find Porter, Millsap, and Jokic for threes to take the lead ending the night with 11 assists. The Nuggets really relied on Jokic and Murray to carry them late and they did, Jokic got Steven Adams with a nasty dream shake spin into a slow euro-step for an easy layup to seal the game.

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