Nuggets Bounce Back, Beat Pelicans 104-91

The Denver Nuggets picked up their second win of the season with a 104-91 road victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night at Smoothie King Center. Denver, which had been described as playing ugly, uninspired basketball through three games, found its rhythm on both ends and handed New Orleans its fourth straight loss to open the year.

Nikola Jokic made personal history with a triple-double in the win, a fitting centerpiece for a Nuggets team that had yet to cover a spread this season. The Pelicans, who entered with the better point differential despite an 0-3 record, could not carry that scoring punch into this one, finishing with just 91 points — well below their early-season average.

How Our Premium Pick Fared

We sold New Orleans +4.5 and the moneyline (+154) to subscribers, with our model projecting a 124.5-121.7 Pelicans win. That call missed. Denver won outright by 13, covering the 4.5-point spread with room to spare and making the +154 moneyline a loser. The total of 240.5 also came in well under, so any over exposure on this game lost as well.

The handicap was built on New Orleans' superior point differential and Denver's 0-3 ATS start. Both trends reversed in a single night.

What It Means Going Forward

Early-season point differential is a useful signal, but it is not a substitute for matchup context — especially when a winless team's margin is built on high-variance shootouts. Denver's defensive profile was the real warning sign, and it showed up here. Going forward, we will weight recent defensive form more heavily when a road favorite is being faded on reputation alone. One result does not define a season, but it does sharpen the process.