The Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade has caused a big change in the Western Conference playoff race, but other teams are still working hard to secure their spots. One of those teams is the Denver Nuggets, who were in fourth place on Sunday, one game ahead of Doncic’s new team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nuggets will have a chance to create some distance by hosting the New Orleans Pelicans twice in three days, starting Monday night.
Denver had a rough start to a five-game road trip, losing the first three games, but they won the last two, including a close 107-104 win against Charlotte on Saturday night. The Nuggets played without Russell Westbrook (hamstring) and Peyton Watson (sprained right knee), and it’s likely they won’t be available for Monday’s game.
With these injuries, Denver had to rely more on their bench against the Hornets. They used players like Jalen Pickett and Zeke Nnaji, and moved Christian Braun back into the starting lineup after he had come off the bench for the last two games. Braun played a key role, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Coach Michael Malone talked about Braun’s performance: “I made the decision going into the Knicks game to take (Braun) out of the starting lineup, and here he is a few nights later, playing 38 minutes. I felt that he was everywhere. He was attacking. He was shooting the 3-ball with confidence. He was guarding. I think tonight was a snapshot into all the different areas CB can help you win in.”
Braun is the fourth-highest scorer on the team, averaging 14.5 points per game. Nikola Jokic, who had his 22nd triple-double of the season on Saturday, leads Denver with averages of 29.6 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.3 assists. Jamal Murray (20.4 ppg) and Michael Porter Jr. (18.0 ppg) are also key scorers for the Nuggets.
Westbrook and Watson are expected to return soon, but the Pelicans are facing bigger challenges. They’ve been without power forward Zion Williamson for most of the season, and recently, they suffered another tough blow when guard Dejounte Murray tore his right Achilles in a 118-116 loss to Boston on Friday, making it their fifth straight loss.
Murray leads the team in assists (7.4) and steals (2.0) and is fifth in scoring with 17.5 points per game. His injury was hard for his teammates to process. Guard Jose Alvarado said, “When I saw it, I felt bad for him. I can’t really explain it. It’s something that I knew wasn’t looking good… He loves this game and I know how much he loves it. It’s unfortunate. And when I’d seen that, I couldn’t put it into words.”
Murray had already missed 17 games earlier this season due to a broken hand, adding to the long list of injuries the Pelicans have dealt with. Williamson has only played 13 games due to various injuries.
Brandon Ingram has been out since December 7, missing 26 games because of a sprained left ankle. Herb Jones, who has a right shoulder injury, has only played 20 games this season, and CJ McCollum missed 13 straight games with an adductor strain.
When healthy, Williamson leads the team with 23.6 points per game. Ingram (22.2), Trey Murphy III (22.1), and McCollum (21.9) are all averaging more than 20 points per game.
