Nuggets vs Pelicans Prediction 10/24/26 NBA Picks Today

The New Orleans Pelicans are now on a two-game losing streak after coming up painfully short to the lowly Jazz in a 120-119 road defeat last night. Zion Williamson led the team with 23 points on eight of 12 shooting, Saddiq Bey added 20 points off the bench, while Dejounte Murray chipped in with 16 points and six assists.

As a team, the Pelicans shot 51 percent from the field and eight of 26 from the 3-point line as they dominated the third quarter with 38 points to claw their way back from a 15-point deficit, but they couldn’t score a single point in the final minute of the game, and that was the difference in a game that could’ve gone either way.

Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets are searching for their first win of the season after coming up well short against the Thunder in a 96-84 road defeat on Thursday. Aaron Gordon led the team with 20 points on six of nine shooting; Nikola Jokic and DeMar DeRozan each scored 13 points, while no other player scored more than seven points.

As a team, the Nuggets shot just 38 percent from the field and eight of 30 from the 3-point line as they got off to a decent start and took a narrow lead into halftime, but their offense stalled in the second half, where they managed just 36 points to get well beaten in the end. Jokic shot just five of 19 from the field while Jamal Murray scored just six points on two of 11 shooting with six turnovers.

Why the Denver Nuggets will win

• The Nuggets have won each of their last 11 night games at Ball Arena following a road loss.
• The Pelicans have lost each of their last 10 road games.
• The Pelicans have failed to cover the spread in each of their last seven road games.
• The Nuggets have covered the spread in each of their last six home games when playing with a rest advantage.

Why the New Orleans Pelicans will win

• The Nuggets have lost three of their last four games as favorites.
• The Pelicans have won seven of their last nine games against Northwest Division opponents that held a losing record.
• The Pelicans have covered the spread in each of their last five games on the second leg of a back-to-back against the Nuggets.
• The Nuggets have failed to cover the spread in each of their last four games against Southwest Division opponents that held a losing record.

Total Points Facts

• Seven of the Nuggets’ last eight night games at Ball Arena have gone OVER the total points line.
• Four of the Pelicans’ last five games have gone OVER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Nuggets ranked 1st in the league for points per game last season (122.1).
• The Nuggets ranked 30th in the league for steals per game last season (6.8).
• The Pelicans ranked 29th in the league for opponent three-point field goal attempts per game last season (40.5).
• The Pelicans ranked 2nd for points in the paint (4730) last season.

The Pelicans have ruled out Yves Missi, while the Nuggets have ruled out Julian Strawther, Cameron Johnson, and Spencer Jones. The Pelicans will be kicking themselves after losing by one point to the Jazz last night, and now they have to travel to battle the Nuggets.

The Nuggets have opened as heavy favorites, but with the Pelicans playing this one on zero days’ rest, I think it’s justified. Jokic had a rare poor outing in his last game, and I think he bounced back with a monster game to lead the Nuggets to a big win at home.

Peter Tran's Free Pick: Denver -11.5