The Denver Nuggets (9-2) will look to make it three wins from three games in the inaugural NBA in-season tournament on Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans (5-6) at the Smoothie King Center.
Bookmaker BetOnline has the reigning NBA champions as 4.5-point favorites for the clash, offering odds at -110 for Denver to beat the spread. The points total for the game stands at 225, with the odds for the over at -115 and the under at -105.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: November 16th, 8:30 P.M. (EST)
The Nuggets kicked off the in-season tournament with a comfortable 125-114 victory at home over Dallas on Nov. 3 and also registered a home triumph versus the Clippers earlier this week, battling out a 111-108 victory. The team has had no trouble motivating itself for these games, and it’s going to be very tough for the rest of the league to stop Denver from winning the NBA Cup if Michael Malone’s men maintain their form.
It all, of course, starts with Nikola Jokic for the Nuggets. The former two-time league MVP has gone for 30-plus points in both in-season tournament games so far and racks up the stats with ease almost every night. Jokic already has four triple-doubles for the season and is averaging a career-high 30.0 points with 13.9 rebounds and 8.4 assists.
One of Jokic’s triple-doubles came against the Pelicans when Denver easily won at home 134-116 last Monday. New Orleans was awful defensively in the clash, and things haven’t improved since then. Willie Green’s team beat Dallas on Tuesday night, but it marks the Pelicans’ only win across the last six games.
New Orleans has struggled despite having Zion Williamson back in the lineup. The former first-overall pick is averaging 21.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists through his first nine outings in 2023-24. However, it looks like the team needs to get even more out of him, especially with C.J. McCollum on the shelf with a lung problem.
The Nuggets remain without Jamal Murray, but his absence has had very little effect on the team’s performance. The rest of the team has done a little extra, with Jokic leading the way, and the Nuggets shouldn’t be in any rush to get Murray back. His absence started with last week’s clash against the Pelicans, and Denver has gone an impressive 3-1 without the Canadian star.
