Denver Nuggets at New Orleans Pelicans 1/30/19 – NBA Pick
New Orleans is coming into this game on their home court with a decent record for a Pelicans team. However, the Nuggets are a team that has been able to play at quite a bit higher level on the year and that can definitely make a difference in the game here as the Nuggets are leading the Northwest Division by 2.5 games and they are definitely in a good position to extend that lead in this game. What else will help the Nuggets is they proved in the last game they are a team that is able to battle back from some of the close games that have seen them down quite a bit before securing the victory.
Denver Nuggets Preview
The Nuggets are coming into the game with a victory in the last game, but it was one that actually stretched the team to the limits as the Denver team had to battle back from being down by 25 points in the second half. However, the Nuggets definitely had the talent to help in getting the recovery from the deficit. The downside is the Nuggets had to push the limits quite a bit in the game and that definitely will leave the Nuggets a little bit tired coming into the game here.
The Nuggets on the year have been able to rely on Nikola Jokic to lead the team in scoring with 20.1 points a game and oddly for a center he has been able to get 7.6 assist a game. The Nuggets as a team have been able to average 111.6 points a game and 27.1 assist a game. The Nuggets are lead in the rebounding by Jokic as well with 10.3 boards a game out of the total the Nuggets average at 46.8.
New Orleans Pelicans Preview
The Pelicans have had plenty of off court turmoil this week as Anthony Davis has mentioned that he wanted to be traded. However, the Pelicans did something that was fairly unthinkable in the last game and that was they were able to slow down and beat the Houston Rockets. What else was interesting for the Pelicans is they were able to see Jahlil Okafor step up big in the game as he managed to score 27 points in the game.
If Davis does get traded the Pelicans will be losing their number 1 scoring threat. On the year so far Anthony Davis has managed to get 29.3 points out of the 116.6 points the Pelicans are averaging on the year. Jrue Holiday, though, has been the leader for the Pelicans when it comes to passing as he has managed to get 8.1 assist out of the teams 26.8 on the year. Davis is also leading the Pelicans in rebounds at 13.3 out of the 46.7 the team gets per game.
Nuggets at Pelicans Line: Denver Nuggets -8.5 O/U 226.5
My Free Denver At New Orleans NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets -8.5
The Nuggets have avoided a lot of the off court controversy this season and that will show up in this game here. However, what else will help the Nuggets out is the fact they are very consistent and while they do rely quite a bit on Jokic, he is able to shoulder the load. The Pelicans, though, are relying on a player who wants to be traded and while he has shown up since releasing the information, he is still a player that may not put forth his best foot to avoid any injury that could damage his trade value. I look for that to be a factor, but also look for the Pelicans to have some issues of playing at a high level inback to back games against good teams. The Nuggets bring home a win in this game and cover 111-100.
