Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans 01/24/20 NBA Betting Odds and Preview

The Denver Nuggets travel to the Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Friday night.

The Nuggets have won three out of their last five games and are currently the 4th seed in the West. Denver is without three starters right now due to injury and they are 13-8 SU on the road this season. The Pelicans are coming off a loss to the San Antonio Spurs. New Orleans is playing the second of three straight home games and they are 8-14 SU at the Smoothie King Center heading to Friday’s contest. The Pelicans won the first two meetings of the season between these two teams.

Nuggets Playing Short-Handed

The Denver Nuggets conclude a three-game road trip with a visit to the Smoothie King Center for a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Nuggets are still playing short-handed right now with three starters out in their previous games and at least two unable to play in this game. Denver has dropped two out of its last three assignments heading to the Big Easy.

Nikola Jokic recorded his 8th triple-double of the season with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists but he couldn’t make up for the absence of five players including three starters. Jerami Grant had another big game with 17 points and 7 rebounds while Torrey Craig added 14 points and 7 boards as well.

The Nuggets rank 20th in the NBA in scoring at 109.3 points per game this season and they have the 6th best scoring defense in the league at only 106.4 points per game allowed. Denver is 4th in passing at 26.2 assists per game and they are 19th off the glass with an average of 44.7 rebounds per game.

Zion’s Electrifying Debut

The New Orleans Pelicans are coming off a home loss to the San Antonio Spurs but this team is very excited right now after Zion Williamson’s electrifying NBA debut. The #1 pick of the 2019 NBA draft missed the first three months of the season with a knee injury but on Wednesday night, he finally played his first NBA game.

Williamson started slow but in the fourth quarter of the game against the Spurs, he scored 17 consecutive points during a two-minute span. Williamson finished the game with 22 points and 7 rebounds while hitting all four three-point attempts. He was pulled out of the game with the game still very winnable and the Spurs ended up escaping with a victory.

The Pelicans rank 6th in the league in scoring at 114.5 points per game but they are next to last in the league when it comes to scoring defense at 117.7 points per game allowed. New Orleans is the 10th best passing team in the NBA at 25.5 assists per game and they are 13th in rebounding at 43.8 boards grabbed per contest.

Who Wins?

Denver is 14-6 SU in their last 20 games played. The Nuggets are 4-1 SU in their last five games played on the road. New Orleans is 10-5 SU in their last 15 games played. The Pelicans are 2-3 SU in their last five games played at home, 4-1 SU in their last five games against the Northwest Division, and 1-9 SU in their last 10 Friday games. Head to head, the Pelicans are 4-1 SU in their last five games played against the Nuggets.

The Nuggets have lost two out of their last three games played and they will be without Jamal Murray for an extended period. Paul Millsap is still out as well although Gary Harris has a chance of returning against the Pelicans. Mason Plumlee is also out for 2-4 weeks with a foot injury but Denver is still a dangerous team even if they have been playing without three starters. This team relies heavily on slow pace and defense which can compensate for the lack of firepower.

New Orleans lost to San Antonio in Zion Williamson’s debut. But we saw what the kid could do if he is on the floor. Coach Alvin Gentry pulled out Williamson with the game still winnable for his team. You can understand Gentry’s reasoning and think that he will do it again here if the same scenario happens.

I like the Nuggets to slow down this game and limit the Pelicans from putting up points. New Orleans has the worst defense in the league so Denver will be able to get the baskets needed to keep this game close. However, I think New Orleans takes this exciting game. With Zion, Jrue Holiday, and Brandon Ingram playing, I think the Pelicans have enough weapons to win this home game.

Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans

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Other Bets to Make

The Nuggets are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games played. Denver is 3-3 ATS in their last six games played on the road, and 0-5 ATS in their last five Friday games. The Pelicans are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games played. New Orleans is 4-1 ATS in their last five games played at home, and 5-1 ATS in their last six games played against the Western Conference. Head to head, the Pelicans are 6-0 ATS in their last six games played against the Nuggets.

The Pelicans have won the last three meetings between these two teams by an average winning margin of 11.67 points per game with no winning margin below eight points. These include the first two meetings between these teams this season. The Pelicans must be excited right now after seeing Zion Williamson play his first game against the Spurs. Denver is still without Milsap and Murray and even if Harris is questionable, New Orleans is playing good basketball right now. Expect Alvin Gentry to limit Zion’s minutes again but with the current vibe in the Big Easy, I like the Pelicans to win this game and cover the spread.

Prediction: Pelicans -4

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The total has gone under in six out of the last eight games played by the Nuggets. Denver has The under is 4-1 in Denver’s last five games against the Western Conference. The total has gone over in 11 out of the last 12 games played by the Pelicans. New Orleans has seen the total go over in each of their last six games played at home. The total has gone under in four out of the last six games between these two teams but the over is 5-1 in their last six meetings in New Orleans.

These teams have combined to score an average of 224.33 points per game in their last three meetings and 229.7 points per game in their last 10 encounters. They combined for 229 and 212 points in their first and second meetings of the season, respectively. With three starters out, Denver has scored 107 or fewer points in four out of their last five games. The Pelicans have averaged 125.6 points per game in their last five games played but Denver has a stout defense. Sure, the Nuggets gave up 121 points to Houston in their last outing but the Pelicans don’t possess the same firepower. I like these teams to play to Denver’s tempo.

Prediction: Over 229.5

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