The Denver Nuggets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 104-91 on Wednesday at Smoothie King Center, riding a 37-point first quarter that the Pelicans never came close to overcoming. Jamal Murray led Denver with 23 points, and Nikola Jokic finished a rebound shy of a triple-double with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
Denver built its margin early and never trailed, outscoring New Orleans 37-18 in the opening period. The Pelicans clawed within single digits by halftime but could not sustain the push, falling to 0-4 with their fourth straight loss to open the season. Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting, but the Pelicans shot just 23% from three-point range on 7-of-30 attempts.
Key Moments And How Denver Pulled Away
Denver’s first-quarter burst set the tone. Murray hit three triples in the period, including a 25-footer that made it 8-3, and Jokic set up Trevon Brazile for a dunk to push the lead to 10-3. Aaron Gordon added a 26-foot three to make it 13-5, and by the time Jokic closed the quarter with a pair of free throws, Denver led 37-18.
New Orleans trimmed the deficit in the second quarter behind Tyus Jones, who hit a pullup jumper and a three-pointer in a span of 35 seconds to cut it to 42-22, part of a 20-point Pelicans quarter. But Murray answered late in the half with a 25-foot three off a Jokic assist to make it 49-36, and Denver’s cushion held up the rest of the way. The Nuggets’ largest lead reached 22 points, while New Orleans never led at any point in the game.
Top Performers
Jokic nearly posted a triple-double, finishing 8-of-13 from the field with 21 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and seven turnovers in 34 minutes. Murray paced all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including 5-of-11 from three-point range, to go with six assists in 38 minutes. Christian Braun added 15 points and Gordon chipped in 15 points and 11 rebounds for Denver, which shot 46% from the field and 95% from the free-throw line on 18-of-19 attempts.
For New Orleans, Williamson’s 25 points led the way, and Derik Queen grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds. Dejounte Murray added 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Jeremiah Fears scored 11 points off the bench. The Pelicans were outscored 42-18 in points off turnovers despite forcing 18 Denver turnovers, and they shot 41% overall while committing 19 giveaways of their own.
What It Means
Denver improved to 2-2 and sits fourth in the Northwest Division, two games behind Oklahoma City, which is 4-0. The win also extended Denver’s lead in the season series, with the Nuggets now up 2-0 against New Orleans this year, a matchup previewed by Total Apex Sports ahead of Wednesday’s game. The Nuggets previously beat the Pelicans 141-135 in their first meeting, a game in which Murray scored 42 points, as detailed in that recap.
New Orleans dropped to 0-4 and last in the Southwest Division at 4.5 games behind division-leading Houston. The Pelicans have lost four straight to start the season, a stretch that included an earlier matchup against Denver previewed in this preview when both teams were still searching for their first win.
What’s Next
The official data does not list the next scheduled opponent for either team. Denver will look to build on its 2-2 start, while New Orleans will try to avoid a fifth straight loss as it searches for its first win of the season.
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