Halftime Report
Only two more quarters stand between the Nuggets and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a 93-83 lead against the Pelicans.
If the Nuggets keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 31-19 in no time. On the other hand, the Pelicans will have to make due with a 12-38 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
New Orleans Pelicans @ Denver Nuggets
Current Records: New Orleans 12-37, Denver 30-19
How To Watch
- When: Monday, February 3, 2025 at 9 p.m. ET
- Where: Ball Arena — Denver, Colorado
- TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $7.00
What to Know
The Nuggets will be playing the full four quarters on Monday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They will host the New Orleans Pelicans at 9:00 p.m. ET at Ball Arena. The Nuggets are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 120.5 points per game this season.
The Nuggets are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 226.5, but even that wound up being too high. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Hornets 107-104. That’s two games straight that Denver has won by exactly three points.
Nikola Jokic continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a triple-double on 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 17 assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Christian Braun, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fifth straight defeat. They lost 118-116 to the Celtics on a last-minute shot From Jayson Tatum. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest loss New Orleans has suffered since December 12, 2024.
The Pelicans might have lost, but man, Trey Murphy III was a machine: he went 8 for 12 from beyond the arc en route to 40 points plus five rebounds. That’s the most threes Murphy III has posted since back in March of 2024.
The Pelicans struggled to work together and finished the game with only 16 assists. They are winless (0-7) when they just don’t pass the ball.
The victory made it two in a row for Denver and bumps their season record up to 30-19. As for New Orleans, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-37.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: The Nuggets haven’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 120.5 points per game (they’re ranked third in scoring overall). It’s a different story for the Pelicans, though, as they’ve been averaging only 109.8. The only thing between the Nuggets and another offensive beatdown is the Pelicans. Will they be able to keep them contained?
The Nuggets skirted past the Pelicans 132-129 in their previous matchup back in December of 2024. Will the Nuggets repeat their success, or do the Pelicans have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Denver is a big 11.5-point favorite against New Orleans, according to the latest NBA odds.
Bettors have moved against the Nuggets slightly, as the game opened with the Nuggets as a 13.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 240.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Denver has won 6 out of their last 10 games against New Orleans.
- Dec 22, 2024 – Denver 132 vs. New Orleans 129
- Nov 15, 2024 – New Orleans 101 vs. Denver 94
- Jan 12, 2024 – Denver 125 vs. New Orleans 113
- Nov 17, 2023 – New Orleans 115 vs. Denver 110
- Nov 06, 2023 – Denver 134 vs. New Orleans 116
- Mar 30, 2023 – New Orleans 107 vs. Denver 88
- Jan 31, 2023 – Denver 122 vs. New Orleans 113
- Jan 24, 2023 – Denver 99 vs. New Orleans 98
- Dec 04, 2022 – New Orleans 121 vs. Denver 106
- Mar 06, 2022 – Denver 138 vs. New Orleans 130
