Nuggets vs Pelicans Odds & Picks (Dec. 4)

• The Nuggets visit the Pelicans on Sunday
• Both teams sit at 14-8 in the Western Conference
• Read on for the Nuggets vs Pelicans odds, preview, and prediction

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets (14-8, 8-6 away) finish up a quick two-game road trip on Sunday afternoon in the Big Easy against the New Orleans Pelicans (14-8, 8-3 home) at the Smoothie King Center.

New Orleans are looking for their fourth win in a row at home. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 PM ET.

Denver saw a four-game winning run end on Friday as they lost 117-109 to the Atlanta Hawks. The Pels meanwhile, beat a divisional foe in the San Antonio Spurs that same night, their third straight victory.

Nuggets vs Pelicans Odds

Odds as of December 3rd at FanDuel.

The Nuggets are a 0.5-point favorite here with moneyline odds of -108. The Pels come back at -108, too.

The Nuggets won three out of four against the Pelicans in 2021-22. Overall they’ve been victorious in five of the last six.

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Denver Nuggets Firing on All Cylinders

At first glance, it’s clear that Jokic’s numbers are drastically different in 2022-23.

He’s averaging 22.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 8.9 assists, a far cry from his MVP stat line across the last two seasons. But, The Joker is still making a big impact and has legitimate help around him again in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr, who are thriving.

Plus, Aaron Gordon and Bones Hyland are putting up 15+ PPG as well, giving Denver a truly solid rotation. However, Porter is out at the moment.

Friday wasn’t one of their best performances, though, losing to a Hawks team who didn’t even have Trae Young. Jokic, who’s just inside the top 10 for NBA MVP odds, led the way with 24 points, 10 boards, and eight dimes, while Murray also dropped 20.

But, the defense wasn’t very solid, allowing Atlanta to shoot 56% from the field.

Turnovers proved to be costly, too. The Nuggets coughed it up 15 times and that translated into 26 points for the Hawks.

MPJ has no timetable for return due to a heel injury and will miss out Sunday. Veteran Jeff Green is also questionable. Denver is 12-4 against Western Conference opponents this season.

New Orleans Pelicans Realizing Potential

With the return of Zion Williamson, many believed the Pelicans would be the dark horse of the West.

And despite CJ McCollum struggling thus far, this team is looking extremely scary on both sides of the ball. New Orleans ranks fifth in PPG, sixth in offensive rating, and third in defensive rating. Zion leads the way with 23.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per night, while Brandon Ingram is compiling just over 20 points per contest, too.

The Pels come in hot, going 8-2 in their last 10 games. The winning ways continued in San Antonio, with Williamson serving as the main catalyst. The big man erupted for 30 points, 15 boards, and eight dimes, his second 30-point game in a row. Jonas Valanciunas contributed 21 as well.

Although the Pels shot just 29% from deep, they were efficient from the charity stripe, draining 96% of their freebies.

weekend work pic.twitter.com/ct3UzvDAxO

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 3, 2022

From dominating the boards to out-dueling the Spurs in the paint, this was a great showing from NOLA. Once McCollum actually gets going, it’s frightening just how good the Pelicans can really be. Ingram remains out with a toe issue Sunday and so is Herb Jones, who is dealing with an ankle injury.

Nuggets vs Pelicans Prediction

I’m looking at Denver’s recent success versus New Orleans. It’s too clear to ignore. Look for the Nuggets to end the Pels’ recent run at home.

Pick: Denver Nuggets (-108)