nba nuggets vs pelicans predictions

NBA: Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction 11/17/2023

The Denver Nuggets (9-2) travel to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans (5-6) on Friday, November 17th. This game will be played at Smoothie King Center in Smoothie King Center and televised on BSNO. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 8:00 ET.

Nuggets vs Pelicans

The Nuggets Are Coming Off A Win

The Nuggets picked up a win over the Clippers in their latest game, finishing with a score of 111-108. Heading into the second half, the Nuggets were leading 60-52.

Coming into today’s game vs. the Pelicans, the Nuggets are looking to build on their above .500 record of 9-2. The team is currently 1st in the Western Conference, and they are also 1st in the Northwest division.

Denver comes in with an overall ATS record of 5-6 so far this season. On the road, the Nuggets have an ATS record of 1-3, as opposed to a 4-3 record against the spread when playing at home.

The Pelicans Are Coming Off A Win

The Pelicans took down the Mavericks in their most recent game with a final score of 131-110. Heading into the game, the Pelicans were the underdogs at +3.5 giving them both a straight-up and ATS win. Before the game, the over/under line was 239 points, and both teams ended up surpassing that mark.

The Pelicans will face the Nuggets bringing in an overall record of 5-6 and a 1-2 record over their previous three games. Throughout their 11 games, the Pelicans have posted a 3-5 record against Western Conference opponents, while going 2-1 in non-conference matchups.

New Orleans has an overall ATS record of 5-6 for the season so far. The Pelicans maintain an ATS record of 2-3 on the road, while they have a 3-3 record vs. the spread when playing at home.

Nuggets Offense Breakdown

Heading into play, the Nuggets’ offense is rated 11th in the league in scoring, averaging 114.5 points per contest. Coming into today’s game, the Nuggets will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 11.5 made 3’s per game. If Denver continues to struggle with their outside shot, they may look to start playing with more pace, as they are currently 29th in the league in possessions per game.

Pelicans Offense Breakdown

Through 11 games the Pelicans are averaging 111.1 points per contest, placing them 19th in the NBA. Coming into today’s game, the Pelicans will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 11.6 made 3’s per game. One reason that they are still scoring at a high rate, is the fact that they are ranked 11th in the NBA in possessions per contest. These increased opportunites have helped make up for the lack of outside shooting.

Nuggets Team Defense

At present, the Nuggets’ defense is ranked 5th, allowing 106.3 points per game.

Denver’s defense is currently forcing 12.4 turnovers per game, which is 7th in the league. Additionally, they enter the game ranked 7th in blocked shots, with an average of 5.9 rejections per game.

Pelicans Team Defense

Coming into today’s game, the Pelicans’ defense is giving up an average of 115.6 points per contest.

The New Orleans defense has allowed opponents to shoot 31.9% from beyond the arc this season. Opposing teams are also hitting 46.0% of their field goal attempts vs. New Orleans.

Key Players For The Nuggets And Pelicans

For today’s matchup, we project Nikola Jokic to lead the scoring for the Nuggets, putting up 24 points and shooting at a rate of 10/16. Throughout this season, his average stands at 30 points per game, along with 13.9 rebounds.

On the other side, Brandon Ingram is our projected leading scorer for the Pelicans. We have him ending the game with a team-high 19 and grabbing 5 rebounds. This season, he is shooting at a field goal percentage of 49.7%, and his scoring average is 22.9 points per game.

Nuggets vs Pelicans Trends

  • Across the Nuggets last three road games, the team averaged 107 points per game while allowing 104. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 1-2, while going 1-2 straight-up.
  • Through their last five home games, New Orleans has an ATS record of just 2-3. However, their overall record was 2-3 while averaging 107 points per game.
  • The last three games that New Orleans was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 1-2 straight up.
  • Going back to their last ten games as the favorite, the Nuggets have a straight up record of 8-2. But, their mark vs the spread was just 4-6.

Nuggets vs Pelicans Prediction

For a point-spread wager in this Nuggets vs. Pelicans game, we suggest taking the Pelicans at +4. Even though our predictions have the Nuggets winning 111-108, we see the Pelicans as the better choice on the point-spread.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 224.5 and given that our model is projecting 219 points between the teams, we like the under.


All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!


* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.