DENVER – Who are these New Orleans Pelicans? The 2023-24 Pelicans enter tonight’s contest against the defending champion Denver Nuggets having won seven straight on the road, and having led the Golden State Warriors by as many as 50 points before winning by 36.
Since Trey Murphy’s return on Dec. 4, the Pelicans have gone 12-5, trailing only the Clippers, Celtics, and Thunder.
They rank seventh in the NBA in offensive rating (120.6), second in defensive rating (110.1), and first in net rating (10.5).
The Pelicans have found their balance between the inside and the outside. Over these 17 games the Pels haven’t suddenly turned into indiscriminate bombers from three-point range, they still rank just 25th in the NBA in attempts per game (32.0). What they have done is moved the basketball to create good looks. And the Pelicans are knocking them down.
New Orleans has converted 41.7 percent of its three-point attempts over the past 17 games, trailing the Clippers by a single decimal point for the league lead. And their 13.4 made threes per game have the Pelicans in the top half of the rankings.
Since Dec. 4, six players on the roster are making better than 40 percent of their triples, with 10 at 36 percent or better.
The Pelicans’ “Big 3” is not only scoring, but Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and CJ McCollum are passing, defending, and leading this team in ways we haven’t seen before. Perhaps the time together on the court is finally starting to yield the long-awaited benefits everyone has been expecting.
Then of course, there is the Pelicans’ defense.
On and nightly basis, the Pels are demonstrating a commitment on the defensive end of the court from the best players to the last man on the bench.
Shooting can come and go, but consistent defense travels. Over the last six games of this road win streak, the Pelicans are holding opponents to 105.3 ppg.
| PPG | Opp PPG | ORTG | DRTG | NET | PITP/G | Opp PITP/G | 3P% | Opp 3P% | |
| Pelicans | 128.7 | 105.3 | 130.8 | 107.5 | 23.4 | 53.7 | 48.3 | 46.8 | 33.6 |
It’s been part of a larger trend for the Pelicans, who have climbed all the way to seventh in the NBA in defensive rating and sixth in net rating.
Nine of their 11 wins away from home this season have come by double-digits, with the Pelicans posting a NBA-best 17.4 ppg margin of victory on the road.
However, matching the franchise-record won’t be easy. The Denver Nuggets, aside from being the defending champions, enjoy one of the best home court advantages in the league. The Nuggets are 15-4 at home this season, 49-11 (.816) since the start of last season.
The Pelicans have had decent success against Denver at home and on the road, winning two of their last five meetings in the Mile High City and splitting the last eight games overall.
This will be the tiebreaker of the season series, with each team holding serve at home in the first two games.
Denver hasn’t been at its best as of late, dropping two of its last three and needing a miracle from Nikola Jokic to beat the Warriors last week.
The Nuggets are healthy, and they will try to take advantage of the Pelicans in the post with their size, athleticism, and the passic of Jokic. Ideally, New Orleans would find a way to bait Denver into taking a lot of three pointers, but that isn’t Denver’s way. Instead, the Pels will have to rely on defending without fouling and creating turnovers in order to get out and run.
The Pelicans’ bench will be a major factor with a number of starters checking in as questionable before tonight’s game. The second unit has been exceptional this season, and that will have to continue in order to steal a victory.
Most Recent Starting Lineups
| New Orleans Pelicans | Denver Nuggets |
| G – CJ McCollum | G – Jamal Murray |
| G – Herb Jones | G – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope |
| F – Brandon Ingram | F – Michael Porter Jr. |
| F – Zion Williamson | F – Aaron Gordon |
| C – Jonas Valanciunas | C – Nikola Jokic |
Injuries
New Orleans Pelicans: Matt Ryan (calf) is Out. Brandon Ingram (right Achilles soreness), CJ McCollum (right ankle sprain), Trey Murphy III (left knee tendonitis), and Zion Williamson (riqht quad contusion) are Questionable.
Denver Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar (left knee) and Julian Strawther (right knee sprain) are Out.
Who: New Orleans Pelicans (23-15) at Denver Nuggets (26-13)
Season Series:
- Nov. 6: Nuggets def. Pelicans, 134-116
- Nov. 17: Pelicans def. Nuggets, 115-110 (In-Season Tournament)
- Jan. 12: Pelicans at Nuggets
Where: Ball Arena
When: Jan. 12, 9:00 PM CT
Where to watch: WVUE, ESPN
Where to listen: WRNO 99.5
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