The Pelicans they got the victory in Denver by defeating the Nuggets 105-113 in a game in which New Orleans managed to dominate the last quarter thanks to the performance of shooting guard Herbert Jones who scored 18 points in the last 12 minutes. Three Pelicans players — Brandon Ingram, Jaxson Hayes and Jones — finished the night over 20 points. Jones had 25 points while forwards Hayes and Ingram had double-doubles. Hayes had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Ingram had 23 points and 12 assists.
In the Nuggets, center Nikola Jokic was one more night the most outstanding man and was on the verge of a triple double by scoring 25 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists. Jokic, who returned to play after missing Wednesday’s previous game against the Utah Jazz due to problems with his right foot, is the NBA leader in double-doubles this season with 40. The Serbian center is also the leader in triple-doubles, with 13, and second in rebounding, averaging 13.8 per game. Neither the Spanish Willy Hernangómez in the Pelicans nor the Argentine Facundo Campazzo in the Nuggets played. The Spanish center, who since the beginning of this year has signed some of his best games in the NBA, is on leave due to the covid-19 protocols. Meanwhile, Campazzo, who in recent games is going through the worst slump in his game since arriving in Denver, sat the entire game on the bench by decision of Nuggets coach Michael Malone.
absolute equality
The game was very even, with 18 changes of leadership on the scoreboard and 15 times in which there was a tie. Only in the last quarter did the Pelicans dominate the scoreboard and reach their maximum advantage, 8 points. The first quarter reflected that equality. Neither team could dominate and the changes in the leadership of the scoreboard happened quickly. Jokic outplayed Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas and scored 9 points in the period by hitting every shot he took: 1 3-pointer, 4 free throws and 1 2-point shot. Jokic’s success allowed the locals to finish the first 12 minutes with a slight advantage of 29-27 about the Pelicans.
But in the second quarter, the Pelicans increased the pressure on Jokic with two players constantly above center. The Serbian did not get any points in the second quarter. And what was almost as important, the Pelicans dominated behind the rim, with 16 of their 24 points in the second quarter coming from the paint to just 4 from the Nuggets. When it came to halftime, the Nuggets were only one point up on the scoreboard, 52-51.
Defense over Jokic
The second half of the match followed the same pattern, with the visitors trying to limit Jokic’s attacking moves with double defenses. The center managed to improve his numbers compared to the first half, making 16 points and 7 rebounds, in addition to 4 assists, but the Pelicans once again dominated the paint, which allowed them to win the game. The New Orleans made 30 points from the paint, for 20 of the Nuggets. By the time the third quarter ended, the Pelicans had tied the game 82-82 thanks to the performances of Ingram and Hayes who between the two scored 22 points in the period.
It was in the last 12 minutes when Jones signed a perfect performance for the Pelicans by not missing any of his shots. In the last quarter, the shooting guard scored 2 triples, 4 free throws and 4 shots of 2, which allowed the Pelicans to score their second consecutive victory by 105-113.