Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 12/8/2021 NBA Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Bally Sports New Orleans

The New Orleans Pelicans (7-19) will take on the Denver Nuggets (11-12) at Smoothie King Center on Wednesday.

The Nuggets played the Bulls and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 109-97 in their last game. In reference to personal fouls, the Nuggets ended up with 17 and the Bulls racked up 11 personal fouls. They also converted 13 of their 35 shots from 3-point range. Chicago went 70.0% from the charity stripe by burying 14 of 20 shots. Moreover, Chicago grabbed 42 rebounds (13 offensive, 29 defensive) and had 2 blocks. Chicago recorded 55 assists and had 25 steals for the contest. With regard to the defense, Denver allowed their opponent to shoot 45.1% from the floor on 41 of 91 shooting. They also distributed 30 dimes for the game as well as forcing the opposition into 7 turnovers and getting 5 steals. Pertaining to grabbing boards, they compiled 51 with 12 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Nuggets buried 10 of their 15 attempts for a rate of 66.7%. Denver walked away from the game with a 39.2% FG percentage (38 of 97) and buried 11 of 32 three-point shots.

Nikola Jokic is someone who was important in the game. Jokic went 35.3% from the floor and totaled 15 assists. He saw the court for 36 minutes played and totaled 12 rebounds. He left the arena with 17 points on 6 of 17 shooting.

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Denver enters this matchup with a win-loss record of 11-12 on the season. They turn it over 13.6 times per contest and as a squad are committing 18.4 fouls per game. As a unit, Denver is snagging 42.9 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 565 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 18th in basketball in terms of passing. The Nuggets are hitting 34.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (281 of 826) and 74.8% from the free throw line. They average 103.7 points per game (26th in the league) while shooting 46.1% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Nuggets are able to force 13.6 turnovers per game and they draw 17.7 fouls. They are conceding 33.2% on shots from distance and they rank 3rd in the league in opponents points per game (104.1). The Nuggets are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.4% (910 of 1,960) and they relinquish 44.1 rebounds per contest as a team. They are ranked 8th in the NBA in allowing assists to their opponents with 541 conceded on the year.

The last time they took the court, the Pelicans took a defeat with a final score of 118-108 against the Rockets. When talking about team rebounding, New Orleans allowed Houston to grab 29 in total (11 on the offensive side). They shot 42.5% from downtown via 17 out of 40 and ended up shooting 23 of 29 at the free throw line (79.3%). The Pelicans permitted the Rockets to convert 39 of 79 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 49.4% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Pelicans walked away from this one shooting 40 out of 94 from the field which gave them a percentage of 42.6%. In relation to shots from distance, New Orleans converted 10 of their 38 tries (26.3%). They were able to make 18 of those for a percentage of 72.0%. The Rockets committed 14 fouls for this game which took the Pelicans to the charity stripe for a total of 25 shots. They turned it over 7 times, while earning 9 steals for the matchup. The Pelicans were able to corral 28 defensive rebounds and 22 offensive boards for a total of 50 in this matchup.

Brandon Ingram ended up being a major contributor for the Pelicans in this matchup. He converted 15 out of 28 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 53.6%, and added 5 rebounds. Ingram totaled 40 points in his 38 mins on the court and had 4 dimes for the contest.

New Orleans has a win-loss mark of 7-19 so far this season. The Pelicans have committed 20.2 personal fouls every game while shooting 81.1% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 23.8 times per contest (12th in the league) and they turn it over 14.8 times per contest. New Orleans has accounted for 2,687 points on the year (103.3 per contest) and they average 46.0 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Pelicans are hitting on 42.9% from the floor, which ranks 26th in the league.

The Pelicans on the defensive side of the court are 23rd in the NBA in PPG given up with 110.1. They are forcing 13.6 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 47.4% from the field (28th in the league). The New Orleans defense surrenders 37.6% on 3-point attempts (336 of 894) and their opponents are connecting on 76.6% of their free throw shots. They allow 24.2 assists and 43.1 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 21st and 6th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Orleans

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