A first half the Pelicans will want back
New Orleans shot 65.9 percent in the first half in Denver overnight and led by as many as 23 points. Against a Nuggets side missing Cam Johnson (ankle), Alpha Diallo (wrist), Julian Strawther and Spencer Jones, the game looked finished.
It was not. Denver won 141-135 in overtime, and the comeback started in the third quarter, when Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray produced 22 of the team’s 32 points. The Pelicans still held a 19-point lead going into the fourth.
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Murray at 42, Jokic closes it out
The fourth quarter belonged to the threes. Murray and Jokic both found their range, Aaron Gordon added a reverse dunk, and Denver had the ball with 17 seconds left. Murray hit two of three free throws, enough to tie it and send the game to overtime.
Jokic took over from there, scoring eight of his 35 points in the extra five minutes. He added 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his 199th regular-season triple-double. Only Russell Westbrook, with 209, has more. Murray finished with 42, and rookie Trevon Brazile contributed 17, seven of them in overtime, including a corner three with 1:25 left that gave Denver a four-point cushion.
New Orleans still looking for a win
Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 26 points, Dejounte Murray scored 22, and Derik Queen and Zion Williamson each had 17. It was not enough. New Orleans is 0-3 in Jamahl Mosley’s first season in charge.
There was one piece of good news: center Yves Missi, hurt in Friday’s game at Utah, has only a knee contusion. The two teams meet again Wednesday, and Denver hosts Golden State on Monday.
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