Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction: The Nuggets are the obvious favorites

The NBA Regular Season is in a crucial phase as we are just a few days from the NBA trade deadline. This is a window where teams are exploring the market to shore up their units. Let us see what rabbit is pulled out of the hat as the trade rumors flood the market. At any rate, in this NBA Regular Season game, the Denver Nuggets take o the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Nuggets enter the picture after losing 119:126 against the 76ers despite a 24 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds performance by Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets have now lost three out of their last four games, following a nine-game winning streak. This is the first time that the team has hit such a window since early December but there is no need to panic as the team has an impressive record with 34 wins and 16 losses.

Of course, Jokic has been the main player with his MVP play but this season he has had much more support. The return of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. has bolstered the squad on both ends of the floor whereas management deserves credit for bringing in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown in the offseason, the latter being a multi-purpose player. The bench has some issues and Denver may explore the trade market to haul in someone effective.

The Pels come into this affair after losing 110:135 against the Milwaukee Bucks in what was another short effort. They have now lost eight in a row and 13 of their 16 games which have stalled their amazing start. They are merely one game above the 50% win percentage with 26 wins and 25 losses so they are in desperate need of a boost. The boost can only come in the form of Zion Williamson, under whose leadership the Pels were developing into an elite squad.

The other big trouble has been the unavailability of Brandon Ingram whose play has been affected due to injuries. CJ McCollum has been present but his offense has been way too inconsistent while Jonas Valanciunas has been a stellar rebounder but a limited offensive player. The lack of Wing depth especially in terms of scoring is now causing ruptures and the rampant injury issues to Zion have stalled the growth for multiple seasons now.

• Nuggets: OUT: Jack White, Collin Gillespie. Game-Time Decision: Jamal Murray;
• Pelicans: OUT: Zion Williams, Daniel Dyson, EJ Lidell.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Nikola Jokic(28-35 Points), CJ McCollum(24-31 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Nikola Jokic(10-13 Rebounds), Jonas Valanciunas(9-12 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Nikola Jokic(10-12 Assists), CJ McCollum(6-8 Assists).

The Nuggets have been slipping a bit lately but coming back from a road trip, they will once again have the altitude advantage and their motivated fanbase behind them. The Pels are in desperate need of a win because their campaign is heading like the last one. Therefore, Denver is going to start as the favorite here. I predict a scoreline of 127:110 in favor of Denver.