Whether it was defense, rebounding, transition offense – you name it, New Orleans did it more effectively Thursday than in any of its previous games. As a result, the Pelicans cracked the win column for the first time in 2019-20, after coming up just shy in three opening-week contests.
After giving up at least 123 points in every previous game, New Orleans held Denver to just 107 and no more than 55 in either half. The Pelicans entered Thursday ranked third-to-last in the NBA in rebounding percentage, but outboarded the Nuggets 37-35. For good measure, New Orleans raced to a season-best 37 fast-break points.