The game started on a feel-good note with DeAndre Jordan receiving a stand-up ovation as he was introduced for the Pelicans, and both Zion Williamson and Cam Johnson started for their respective teams despite being questionable. That’s where the good vibes started and ended for an outmatched Pelicans squad.
On script, the Nuggets set the tone. Zion started aggressively with an early bucket and trip to the line. But Nikola Jokic hit his first 3 from the top of the key, accounting for 7 of the Nuggets first 10 points. After a Christian Braun drive and dunk, the Nuggets extended their lead to 16-11. The teams then traded baskets, with CB on the receiving end of two beautiful passes from Jok that set up easy layups. Peyton Watson checked in and immediately imposed his athleticism with two blocks on one possession, leading to a Tim Hardaway, Jr. transition three. After an Aaron Gordon dunk and pair of free throws, the Nuggets’ lead swelled to 29-19. Watson answered a second Saddiq Bey triple with a 3-point conversion on a floater in the lane, sending the Nuggets into the second quarter with a 9-point lead and firm control of the game.
Jonas relieved Jokic to start the second after a ho-hum 11-5-5. The teams traded bricks for the first two minutes until Bruce Brown hit a three off of a two-man action with Val and Mal. An early dagger came from Julian Strawther—)whose playing time has been dramatically reduced so far this season—)as he drilled a line-drive three to balloon the lead to 42-27. The bench then turned up the defense, allowing the Pelicans to cross 30 points at only the 5-minute mark of the 2nd quarter. Big Val dominated as both a facilitator and scorer, eventually subbing out with 6 points and 3 boards and a 51-33 Nuggets lead. To their credit, NOP went on a 9-2 run fueled by 6 straight missed shots, including Murray’s fourth-straight miss from three and a near air ball by Cam Johnson, who managed only 1 point in 16 first-half minutes. At the half, the Nuggets 19-point lead had been cut to 6 despite the bench scoring 21 points for a +9.
A motivated Nuggets squad came out of halftime firing, reestablishing a 12-point lead after AG’s first 3 of the game. A Braun floater in the lane prompted a quick Pelicans timeout just 2:40 into the second half. Johnson finally came through with two great plays: a failed alley-oop he saved leading to a Jokic bunny followed by his first 3-point make of the game. After another Braun dunk, the Nuggets had a commanding 72-49 lead halfway through the third.
Toying with a clearly outmatched and demoralized NO squad, Murray hit two threes in a row, capping off a 29-2 run and all but securing the rout. Zion finally answered with only his 7th point of the game, followed by a consolation dunk, but the points were far too little too late. A CB three (giving Jokic his fourth triple-double in a row) followed by nifty transition two-man play from Mal and Jok gave the Nuggets a 36-point(!) lead as a bloody third quarter wound to a close.
The Nuggets started the fourth with Valančiūnas, Pickett, THJ, Watson, and Brown, which was two or three more players than the Nuggets probably needed to close the game out. Pickett herky-jerked, Val beasted, and THJ hit a 31-foot ‘F You’ three to further bury any hope that Poole or Fear might be able to chuck the Pelicans into a respectable final score.
If tonight’s game is any indication of what’s to come, the days of Jokic & Co. having to close out games against bad teams is finally over. The bench actually extended the lead in both of their stints, allowing the Nuggets stars to cheer-lead from the pine. Both of the Browns/Brauns looked better than they have all season, with Christian scoring 17 on 8-13 shooting and Bruce wreaking havoc. Cam remains a work-in-progress, but he made several winning plays despite the nagging shoulder.
Nikola Jokic tied the record for the most triple-doubles to start a season with former Nuggets’ legend Russell Westbrook and Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson.
FINAL SCORE: Pelicans 88, Nuggets 122
NEXT UP: Nuggets vs. Trailblazers, Friday, 8pm MDT
