The Denver Nuggets couldn’t return to their winning ways with a 120-112 loss against the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night at Pepsi Center.
Denver (42-20) started the game on an 11-3 run and went up a dozen near the 6:00 mark of the first on a 3-pointer from point guard Jamal Murray.
The Nuggets held a 12-point lead going into the second quarter but their second-straight poor showing in the second quarter, saw that margin trimmed down to four by the half. Things would fall apart even more in the fourth, when the when the Pelicans put together a 9-0 run to lead by as many as five with 2:55 remaining in the quarter.
Denver trailed by just three, heading into the fourth, but wound up falling behind by as many as nine on their way to losing its second in a row.
“Turnovers. Threw the ball all over the gym. Twenty-seven points off turnovers. Sixty-two in our paint. Nineteen on our glass, blah, blah, blah,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, listing the reasons his team loss.”
Murray ending the night with 20 points in 32 minutes. Paul Millsap continued his stellar play since the all-star break, going for 16 points while snatching down seven rebounds and helping himself to five steals.
All-Star center Nikola Jokić was hampered with foul trouble after picking up his fourth with 8:49 to go in the third but still managed to finish with 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Mason Plumlee nearly recorded a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Reserve guard Isaiah Thomas chipped in with 12 points on 14 shots attempts.
“It’s always nice if you can have your best player on the floor for more than 21 minutes,” Malone said of Jokic. “That’s back-to-back games that he’s been in foul trouble. We have to avoid that because Nikola on the bench doesn’t help us in any way, shape, fashion or form.”
Reserve guard Isaiah Thomas chipped in with 12 points on 14 shots attempts.
Standout point guard Jrue Holiday led all scorers with 29 points on 10-for-23 shooting as the Pelicans improved to 29-36 with the win. Julius Randle had a huge night offensively with 28 points to go along with 10 rebounds and four dimes. Frank Jackson (16), Cheick Diallo (12) and Jahlil Okafor (10) and Darius Miller also added double-digit scoring efforts.
The Nuggets face the San Antonio on the road Monday at 6:30 p.m. MT. That game will broadcasted live on Altitude TV and streamed on AltitudeNOW.