Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, 12/4/2022 Preview and Pick

Game: Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Sunday, December 4, 2022

Location: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA

TV: Bally Sports New Orleans

The Denver Nuggets are on their way to Smoothie King Center on Sunday where they will take on the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Nuggets faced the Rockets and earned the victory with a final of 120-100 in their last game. Denver finished having earned a 53.0% FG percentage (44 of 83) and buried 17 of their 32 shots from beyond the arc. From the free throw line, the Nuggets made 15 of their 20 shots for a percentage of 75.0%. In relation to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 42 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 30 assists for this game in addition to forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and having 6 steals. With regard to defense, Denver allowed the other team to go 42.0% from the field on 37 out of 88 shooting. Houston recorded 18 dimes and had 5 steals in this contest. Additionally, Houston pulled down 39 rebounds (10 offensive, 29 defensive) and had 8 blocks. Houston finished the game shooting 77.8% when shooting free throws by making 14 of their 18 attempts. They also converted 12 of 41 attempts from distance. In regard to fouls, the Nuggets ended up walking away with 21 while the Rockets accumulated 20 fouls.

Jamal Murray is one guy who was a major factor in the matchup. Murray walked away from this one shooting 60.0% from the field and also distributed 2 assists. He was on the court for 31 mins and also grabbed 4 boards. He ended up scoring 26 points on 9 of 15 shooting.

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Denver enters this contest with a mark of 14-7 on the year. They currently have an average of 115.4 pts per game (9th in the league) on 49.8% from the field. The Nuggets are connecting on 40.4% on 3-pointers (262 of 648) and 75.5% from the charity stripe. As a team, Denver is collecting 43.6 boards per game and has accumulated 587 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 7th in the league in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 15.0 times per game and as a team they are committing 19.7 personal fouls every game.

On defense, the Nuggets have forced 13.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 20.2 fouls. They rank 15th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 541 conceded on the season. The Nuggets defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 48.5% (878 of 1,812) and they surrender 40.3 boards per contest as a unit. They surrender 35.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 14th in basketball in PPG allowed (113.1).

The last time they took the court, the Pelicans got the win with a final of 126-108 against the Raptors. Regarding rebounds, New Orleans allowed Toronto to get 30 in total (3 offensive). They wrapped up this game 28.9% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 11 out of 38 and ended up shooting 13 of 19 at the charity stripe (68.4%). The Pelicans allowed the Raptors to convert 42 of 88 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 47.7% for this contest. Overall, the Pelicans shot 45 out of 86 from the floor which gave them a rate of 52.3%. In reference to 3-pointers, New Orleans buried 14 of their 33 tries (42.4%). They were able to knock down 22 of those for a clip of 84.6%. The Raptors earned 21 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Pelicans to the free throw line for a total of 26 shots. They also gave up possession 20 times, while recording 10 steals for this game. The Pelicans were able to corral 40 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 52 for the contest.

Zion Williamson ended up being important for the Pelicans for the contest. Williamson racked up 33 points in his 37 mins of playing time and accumulated 5 assists for this game. He made 12 of 15 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 80.0%, and added 10 rebounds.

New Orleans has a win-loss record of 13-8 on the year. The Pelicans commit 19.6 fouls every game and they hit 78.6% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 27.1 times per contest (8th in the league) and they turn the ball over 15.0 times per game. New Orleans has earned 2,459 points for the campaign (117.1 per contest) and they collect 45.2 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Pelicans are connecting on 48.6% from the floor, which is 5th in basketball.

The Pelicans defensively are ranked 10th in basketball in PPG given up with 111.0. They have forced 16.3 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 46.4% from the field (11th in the league). The New Orleans defense allows 33.0% on 3-point attempts (254 of 769) and their opponents are making 79.4% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 25.2 dimes and 41.7 boards every game, which is ranked 14th and 5th in the NBA.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New Orleans

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