Zion Williamson reached his career high in scoring and New Orleans led by six points deep into the fourth quarter, but Denver came up with more big plays in clutch time Friday, foiling the Pelicans’ bid to beat the Nuggets for a second time this week. Denver coincidentally won by the exact same tally as New Orleans did Sunday in Colorado.
New Orleans was in front 100-89 with six-plus minutes remaining, but Denver closed the game with a 24-8 run. As effective as Williamson was offensively, so was Nuggets league MVP candidate Nikola Jokic, who delivered big baskets from three-point range and around the rim in the fourth quarter.