The Denver Nuggets will play the first match of their back-to-back on Monday morning when they head to the Smoothie King Center to face the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pels are having a very tough time this season, now 5-23 and bottom of the Western Conference, while the Nuggets are 14-11 and sixth in the conference standings.
Match preview
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The New Orleans Pelicans have been ravaged by injuries this season, and while they faced adversity on their way to 49 wins last year, it is nothing compared to what they have seen in the last couple of months.
In their last match, the Pels suffered a crushing 133-113 defeat to the Houston Rockets on the road on Friday morning, taking their current losing streak to five in a row, while they are 1-9 in their last 10.
Against Houston, Trey Murphy III led the team with 28 points, Herb Jones added 20 points and CJ McCollum contributed 18 points and six assists, but they were on the back foot from the off after allowing 39 points in the first quarter.
This is the third time this season that New Orleans have lost five in succession - the last time the franchise lost five straight three times in a season was back in the 2018-19 campaign when they ended 33-49.
Willie Green's side have been awful offensively this season, ranking last in the NBA in scoring at just 105.4 points per game, while they have not been much better on defence, allowing 117.1 PPG, ranking 26th in the NBA.
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Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets have had a mixed season to this point and saw their three-match winning streak end on Friday morning when they were beaten 126-124 in a nail-biter against the the Portland Trail Blazers.
Nikola Jokic once again put in a standout performance with 34 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while Jamal Murray notched up 24 points and nine assists, helping the side erase a 17-point deficit down the stretch, but the Blazers had the final possession and got a game-winning layup from Anfernee Simons at the buzzer.
Head coach Michael Malone was far from pleased with the result and ripped into his side during his post-match presser, questioning why it took them being down 17 before starting to play hard, while adding that the team need to be honest with themselves and discuss how they can improve.
Denver are now 14-11 for the season, and while there is still plenty of time for them to turn things around, especially with the Joker continuing to put up big numbers, this has been a disappointing start to the campaign for a franchise with championship aspirations.
The Nuggets are ranked fourth in the scoring charts, averaging 119.4 points per game this season, but are 24th on the defensive end, allowing 116.9 PPG, while holding an ATS record of just 10-14-1 (41.7%).
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Team News
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As mentioned, much of the Pels' difficulties this season have stemmed from the absences of key players Brandon Ingram (ankle) and Zion Williamson (hamstting), both of whom are out indefinitely as they continue their rehabilitation.
In addition to the two stars, Jose Alvarado (hamstring), Daniel Theis (personal) and Karlo Matkovic (back) are ruled out for this match, while Jordan Hawkins and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl are listed as questionable.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, could be without as many as six players for this trip to New Orleans, with Dario Saric out with a left ankle sprain, while the duo of Trey Alexander and PJ Hall are on two-way G League contracts.
Vlatko Cancar is still undergoing rehab on his left knee, DaRon Holmes II is out with an injured Achilles tendon and Christian Braun is listed as questionable with a lower back strain.
New Orleans Pelicans possible starting five:
Murphy III, Jones, Missi, McCollum, Murray
Denver Nuggets possible starting five:
Porter Jr, Gordon, Jokic, Murray, Westbrook
We say: Denver Nuggets to win by 5+ points
With just five wins all season and a host of first-team players currently sidelined, the immediate future does not look too promising for the Pelicans. The Nuggets have certainly not been at their best either this season, but we feel they should still secure a fairly comfortable victory over their short-handed opponents in this one.
Devesh Jaganath
