Halftime Report
The Pelicans have overcome an early deficit to take the lead back in this one. They have jumped out to a 67-59 lead against the Nuggets.
The Pelicans entered the match with six straight losses and they’re well on their way to making it seven. Can they turn things around, or will the Nuggets hand them another defeat? Only time will tell.
Who’s Playing
Denver Nuggets @ New Orleans Pelicans
Current Records: Denver 14-11, New Orleans 5-24
How To Watch
- When: Sunday, December 22, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
- TV: Altitude 2 Sports
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $3.99
What to Know
The Nuggets will be playing the full four quarters on Sunday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. Their road trip will continue as they head out to face the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:00 p.m. ET at Smoothie King Center. The Nuggets are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 119.4 points per game this season.
The Nuggets are likely headed into the game with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against the Trail Blazers on Thursday. The Nuggets lost 126-124 to the Trail Blazers on a last-minute driving layup From Anfernee Simons. The close matchup was extra heartbreaking for Denver, who almost overcame a 17 point deficit.
The Nuggets’ loss came about despite a quality game from Nikola Jokic, who went 13 for 18 en route to 34 points plus eight assists and five rebounds. What’s more, Jokic also racked up four threes, the most he’s had since back in October. Jamal Murray was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 24 points and nine assists.
Even though they lost, the Nuggets were working as a unit and finished the game with 34 assists (they’re ranked first in assists per game overall). They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as the Trail Blazers only posted 29.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their sixth straight defeat. They fell 104-93 to the Knicks. New Orleans was up 62-48 in the third but couldn’t hold on to the lead.
Denver moved to 14-11 with that loss, which also ended their three-game winning streak. As for New Orleans, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-24.
Keep an eye on the arc in Sunday’s contest: The Nuggets have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 38.3% of their threes per game. It’s a different story for the Pelicans, though, as they’ve only made 33.3% of their threes this season. Given the Nuggets’ sizable advantage in that area, the Pelicans will need to find a way to close that gap.
The Nuggets came up short against the Pelicans in their previous meeting back in November, falling 101-94. Can the Nuggets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Denver is a big 9.5-point favorite against New Orleans, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Nuggets, as the game opened with the Nuggets as a 8-point favorite.
The over/under is 232 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
New Orleans and Denver both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- 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
- Feb 04, 2022 – New Orleans 113 vs. Denver 105
