October 29, 2026 at 5:32 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Nuggets hold off Pelicans 104-91, leaving New Orleans still without a win

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Denver left New Orleans with a 104-91 win in a game most people expected to be decided at the rim, and the Pelicans fell to 0-4.

The Nuggets beat the Pelicans 104-91 on Wednesday night in New Orleans, in a game that was supposed to be played around the basket. Scouting reports on Denver's interior and pick-and-roll defense had been unkind. The expectation was that Derik Queen, Murray and Zion Williamson would find room inside. New Orleans ended up with 91 points, and Denver left with a 13-point win that undercut most of that pregame talk.

The game was also a quick rematch of Saturday in Denver, which the Nuggets won 141-135 in overtime after rallying from 23 down. That night the Pelicans let a big lead get away. Denver had spent the days since talking about wanting a more complete game, and this was closer to one. The scoring dropped by more than 40 points from Saturday, which says a good deal about how different the two nights were.

The records show why both teams needed it. Denver came in at 1-2 after a 20-point loss to Golden State and is now 2-2. New Orleans was winless at 0-3 and badly wanted a first win, and it goes back to 0-4 with that wait still on.

For Denver, this was an early-season road trip that ended well. The Nuggets were favored by 4.5, and the total was set at 240.5. One projection had the game going over, but the teams combined for 195, nowhere near it. Cameron Johnson had been listed as doubtful with a right ankle sprain, which would have made it a third straight game without him, so Denver's win came with an injury report that was not clean.

Sources

All game reports