Porter, Jokic, too much to handle as Pelicans fall to Nuggets, 144-119

Posted on by David Grubb

The New Orleans Pelicans put together an impressive first half against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night, but it all unraveled in the third quarter in a 144-119 blowout loss. Tied at 68 at halftime, the Pelicans had momentum early in the third, briefly taking a 72-68 lead. Then the Nuggets began to pull away.

Denver went on a 41-23 run to close the period, led by Michael Porter Jr., who torched the Pelicans with 14 points in the quarter and finished with a career-high-tying 39. Nikola Jokic was right there at his side, dropping 38 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds while attempting a career-high 13 three-point attempts, and making five. Denver’s offense was surgical, racking up 40 assists, 74 points in the paint, and 37 fast-break points while shooting 57% from the field.

Led by Jokic, Denver dominated the final three games of the season series, averaging 133.7 points per contest and outscoring the Pelicans by 40 points.

With Daniel Theis traded earlier in the day and Jose Alvarado sidelined by illness, the Pelicans went big with their starting lineup, moving Zion Williamson to small forward for the first time in his career while starting Karlo Matkovic at power forward alongside Yves Missi at center.

Williamson bounced back from a subpar performance on Monday, to finish with 28 points in 27 minutes. Trey Murphy III had 25 points and put his improved playmaking ability on display with a career-high nine assists. Matkovic nearly posted a double-double in his first NBA start (10 points, nine rebounds), and Missi contributed 12 points and six rebounds. But the Pelicans’ size didn’t help their defense, which has been a problem all season. New Orleans struggled to get stops, allowing at least 31 points in every quarter as Denver carved them up inside and out.

The defensive fall-off from last season has been precipitous. This was the 22nd game this season where the Pelicans allowed 120 points or more (3-19), already surpassing last season’s total of 21 (4-17).

The Nuggets exploited every weakness, getting out in transition, dominating in the paint, and finding open shooters at will. Aaron Gordon dished out a career-high 12 assists, Christian Braun chipped in 23 points, and Denver simply overwhelmed New Orleans with their depth and execution. The Pelicans did what they could offensively, but every time they began to close the gap, the Nuggets had an answer to extend the lead and keep New Orleans at arm’s length.

The Pelicans have now lost seven straight, and changes are coming. After the game, reports surfaced that Brandon Ingram had been traded, signaling a shake-up with more potential moves on the way ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

Ingram had been one of the team’s cornerstone players, and his departure marks a significant shift for the franchise. With the trade deadline looming, speculation is running wild about what’s next. Will the Pelicans look to bring in another playmaker? Will they continue to build around Williamson and Murphy? The uncertainty only adds to the tension surrounding a team desperate for a turnaround.

With a road trip to Sacramento up next, the Pelicans are searching for answers—and reinforcements.

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