New Orleans’ four-game winning streak came to an end Wednesday in surprising fashion, with Denver ending its seven-game losing streak. The Nuggets played from ahead for virtually the entire night and held off the Pelicans in the fourth quarter after the hosts briefly led. Denver was up by as many as 16 points in the first half, but New Orleans tied it at 70 by the end of the third period. The Pelicans were within 86-85 when Eric Gordon drained a three-pointer with 2:51 remaining, but New Orleans did not score again after that. NOLA slipped to 15-6 at home, including 2-1 on a six-game homestand that continues with games against the Clippers, Atlanta and Oklahoma City.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
A replay review overturned the call on the floor of New Orleans ball, giving Denver possession up 91-85 with 46 seconds left and a fresh shot clock. Arron Affalo then nailed a short baseline jumper to make it 93-85 at 0:27.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Anthony Davis gave 16,000-plus fans in the Smoothie King Center a brief scare when he landed awkwardly after a third-quarter collision with Kenneth Faried, but he was back on the floor not long thereafter. According to Fox Sports New Orleans’ Jennifer Hale, Davis sustained a groin injury but wanted to get back in the game. It was another All-Star-caliber night for the 6-10 power forward, who finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
Omer Asik helped lead New Orleans to a 48-39 rebounding advantage against an athletic Denver team that’s tough to limit in that category. Asik finished with 12 rebounds along with two blocks in 28 minutes of playing time. Overall though, Denver's role players performed at a higher level than NOLA's.
QUOTES TO NOTE
“It looks like he has a groin injury right now. He’ll have an MRI tomorrow morning to find out for sure. The doctors wouldn’t allow him to come back in the game (in the fourth quarter) if they didn’t think it was safe. He probably pushed the issue a little bit so he could get back on the floor, because that’s who he is.” – Monty Williams on Anthony Davis
“I think sometimes when you come out and have a good first quarter, karma works in your favor and you end up winning the game. That’s what Denver did.” – Quincy Pondexter on the Nuggets leading 28-17 through 12 minutes
“I thought defensively we were active. We held them to 39 percent shooting and only 15 (points) in the fourth quarter. We held the (opponent) under 100 points for the first time in a while.” – Denver’s Brian Shaw on the keys to beating New Orleans
BY THE NUMBERS
39.0: New Orleans shooting percentage from the field, including 3-for-15 three-point shooting.
10-for-17: Denver’s three-point shooting. Arron Affalo led the way by sinking four of his seven attempts. Danilo Gallinari came off the bench to nail three of his five long-distance tries.
5-for-20: Combined field-goal shooting by the Pelicans’ reserves.
FAN TWEET OF THE GAME
From @KennyWin: “Rumors are that Jrue might play tonight. Is that true?” No, not true. Jrue Holiday spoke for a few minutes with the media at Wednesday’s morning shootaround. Unfortunately, there is nothing new to report on him returning. Later in the day, Monty Williams mentioned that it could be around the All-Star break when Holiday may return. There’s no set-in-stone timetable, but the Pelicans said he is expected to be sidelined 2-4 weeks back on Jan. 21. Four weeks from that date would fall during the All-Star hiatus.
#TAKEFLIGHT QUESTION OF THE NIGHT
Three tough opponents – the Clippers, Atlanta and Oklahoma City – remain on the Pelicans’ six-game homestand. Which game are you most excited to watch?
From @AgyeiD: “ATL. They're the hottest team in the league. I'm interested to see how we stack up.”
From @orioles2110: “OKC. Cannot lose to them. Have to at least split that series. We can beat LA, maybe get lucky vs atlanta. I see us winning 2.”