A look at three key numbers related to Sunday’s game at Ball Arena between New Orleans and Denver (2 p.m. Central, Fox Sports New Orleans, ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM). All statistics are entering Saturday’s minimal evening slate of NBA games:
98, 91: Total games of 30-plus assists for Denver and New Orleans, respectively, since the start of the 2014-15 regular season, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. In a statistic that reflects these franchises’ knack for unselfishness and passing prowess, the Nuggets and Pelicans rank second and third in the league, only behind three-time NBA champion Golden State (230 times) during that seven-season timeframe. New Orleans has handed out 30-plus assists 10 times this season, going 7-3 in those instances, while Denver has accomplished the feat eight times, posting a 7-1 mark. Center Nikola Jokic tops the Nuggets at 8.6 assists per game, while Lonzo Ball leads the Pelicans at 5.6. Ball’s tally has increased greatly on this road trip, with the point guard distributing 17 and eight assists in the pair of defeats at Portland. He is listed as questionable to play in Sunday’s game due to a hip strain.
1: Denver center Nikola Jokic’s spot in the most recent NBA.com MVP ladder. Coming off consecutive games against the current No. 2 in the site’s rundown (Portland guard Damian Lillard), New Orleans now matches up with “The Joker,” who has relatively low career head-to-head numbers against the Pelicans. Jokic’s career scoring average of 15.3 vs. NOLA is his third-lowest among 29 opponents, with the only lower point production coming while facing Orlando (14.4) and Golden State (14.3). Jokic’s assist average of 5.0 facing the Pelicans is tied for his fourth-lowest. Still, a big statistical output by Jokic isn’t always a great sign for Denver, which is just 5-6 this season when he scores 35-plus points. The Nuggets are 10-7 when he records double-digit assists.
0: New Orleans road wins this season against teams that are currently over .500. The Pelicans are still seeking a statement victory away from home in 2020-21, having defeated play-in hopefuls like Toronto (17-24), Indiana (18-22) and Memphis (18-20), but none of the top six squads in either conference. New Orleans probably will need to start making headway in this area soon, because the Pelicans still have road games at Denver (twice), Atlanta, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Dallas and Golden State. New Orleans is 5-14 on the road this season, going 3-10 against the West and 2-4 vs. the East. The Pelicans entered Saturday 2.5 games behind 10th-place Memphis, which is hosting Golden State, meaning the Pels will be either two or three games back of the Grizzlies when Sunday’s contest tips off in Colorado.
PREVIOUS GAME STARTING LINEUPS
NEW ORLEANS (17-24, 11TH IN WEST)
Thursday loss at Portland
Lonzo Ball, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Steven Adams
Notes: This group is 15-19, starting all four games since the All-Star break (2-2). … This combination has logged a team-high 525 minutes this season, four times as many as the next most-used five-man lineup. The same quintet, but with Josh Hart instead of Williamson, has played 118 minutes. A chunk of those minutes occur when Williamson is subbed out during the latter portion of first quarters.
DENVER (25-16, 5TH IN WEST)
Friday win vs. Chicago
Jamal Murray, Will Barton, Michael Porter, Paul Millsap, Nikola Jokic
Notes: This group is 5-2, including going 3-1 over the Nuggets’ past four games. … Denver is 23-11 when Barton starts, but just 2-5 when he does not play or comes off the bench. … A Louisiana native and Louisiana Tech product, Millsap’s record this season when he plays is 19-12. The Nuggets are 7-1 in the last eight Millsap appearances.
PELICANS KEYS TO VICTORY PRESENTED BY FANDUEL
FAST STARTERS
Denver has been the best team in the league in first quarters, leading the NBA with an average point differential of plus-3.7 in the opening 12 minutes. New Orleans is very good as well, placing sixth at plus-2.2. The Pelicans drop off precipitously to 27th in second quarters, then are No. 21 in third periods and No. 12 in fourth quarters.
BALL ARENA BOARDS
Denver’s newly-renamed home stadium will have two stellar rebounding teams competing on its hardwood Sunday afternoon. The Pelicans are the NBA’s best squad on the boards percentage-wise, grabbing 53.3 percent of all available rebounds. The Nuggets are seventh at 51.6.
DEFENSE VS. DENVER BIG THREE
Jokic, Murray and Porter average a combined 63.9 points per game for the Nuggets. Jokic and Murray have developed elite two-man chemistry in the Denver attack, while Porter is capable of taking over games as an explosive scorer with one-on-one ability.
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March 21, 2021 at 06:26AM
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Behind the Numbers presented by Entergy: Pelicans at Nuggets (3/21/21) - Pelicans.com
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