- 1 New Orleans Pelicans vs Denver Nuggets: 0-4 against winning West teams, 2-0 against New Orleans
- 2 New Orleans Pelicans: fourth in pace, 26th in points allowed
- 3 Denver Nuggets: 38 from Murray in Houston, then two days off before New Orleans
- 4 Free NBA Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans vs Denver Nuggets
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
New Orleans Pelicans vs Denver Nuggets: 0-4 against winning West teams, 2-0 against New Orleans 
Denver are 0-4 against Western Conference teams with winning records. Against New Orleans they’re 2-0, and both games ended with the Nuggets in control.
The first was a 141-135 overtime win in Denver on 24 October, after the Pelicans had led by 23. Jamal Murray scored 42 and Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, eight of those points in overtime.
Four days later Denver won 104-91 in New Orleans and led from start to finish. Jokic’s 21 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists that night were his 200th career triple-double.
The third meeting is on Saturday 14 November at Smoothie King Center, 7:00pm ET. Denver are 5-4 and 10th in the West. New Orleans are 4-7.
The schedule is lopsided. Denver play in Memphis on Wednesday and then have two days off. The Pelicans host Memphis on Friday, so Saturday is the second night of a back-to-back for them.
I don’t see much in either of the first two meetings that New Orleans can fix in a week, least of all on tired legs.
New Orleans Pelicans: fourth in pace, 26th in points allowed 
New Orleans play at the fourth-fastest pace in the league, 101.4 possessions per game, and allow 120.8 points, 26th. Those figures were set before Monday’s 138-87 loss at Golden State.
In the 104-91 defeat on 28 October they went 7 of 30 from three. Williamson scored 25 on 10-of-14 shooting and Derik Queen added 11 points and 12 rebounds, but the rest of the rotation didn’t give them much.
Rest is the question for Saturday. Williamson sat on the second night of the Clippers-Warriors back-to-back on Monday, and Trey Murphy III has been managing his knees. Murphy scored 26 in the overtime loss in Denver.
Yves Missi’s knee injury is expected to keep him out until at least 16 November. The preseason plan had him starting at center; Karlo Matkovic has taken that spot.
Jordan Poole left the 28 October game with a left ankle injury and is shooting 19% from the field in four appearances. Bennedict Mathurin, who signed in September, is averaging 6.0 points.
Even the good stretch came with late trouble. Two of the four wins in their run needed overtime, in Memphis and at home against Utah, and the team opened the season 0-4.
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Denver Nuggets: 38 from Murray in Houston, then two days off before New Orleans 
Murray scored 38 on 14-of-23 shooting in Houston on Monday, including 5 of 8 from three, and Denver still lost 110-100. Houston took 15 offensive rebounds to Denver’s seven and won the second-chance points 24-11.
Jokic had 25 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists that night. He’s averaging 22.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists, and he put up 32, 10 and 11 against Toronto on 4 November.
Denver play slowly, 96.8 possessions per game, 27th in the league, and their defensive rating ranks 20th. Holding the tempo down was how they beat New Orleans by 13 in October.
The injury list is shorter than it looked before Houston. Every starter plus DeMar DeRozan was listed questionable after travel problems leaving Mexico City, and all of them played. Julian Strawther (knee) is out until late November.
DeRozan signed a one-year deal over the summer after Sacramento waived him, and he scored 11 in the 114-102 win over Indiana in Mexico City. Rookie Trevon Brazile scored 17 in the October overtime game and started the rematch.
Saturday is the third stop of a four-game road trip that began in Houston and goes through Memphis on Wednesday.
Probable lineup New Orleans Pelicans: Dejounte Murray, Jeremiah Fears, Trey Murphy III, Zion Williamson, Karlo Matkovic (not confirmed, rest decisions possible on the back-to-back)
Probable lineup Denver Nuggets: Jamal Murray, Braun, Cam Johnson, Gordon, Nikola Jokic (not confirmed)
Free NBA Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans vs Denver Nuggets
Our prediction: Denver Nuggets to win
Denver to win. They’ve beaten New Orleans twice already, they’ll be coming off two days of rest, and the Pelicans will be playing their second game in two nights.
Denver’s record against good Western teams is a fair worry, and Houston pushed them around on the glass on Monday. New Orleans aren’t in that group: they’re 4-7, they lost by 51 on Monday and their defense gives up 120.8 a night.
No line had been posted at the time of writing. New Orleans were 4.5-point underdogs at home in the 28 October meeting, and the back-to-back should make Denver a clearer favorite this time.
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