Brandon Ingram had his third triple-double of the season. He has registered 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. As the New Orleans Pelicans took advantage of Nikola Jokic’s absence to beat the Denver Nuggets 107-88 Thursday night. Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 12 rebounds and CJ McCollum had 23 points for New Orleans.
https://twitter.com/i/events/1565129219092254721?s=20
The Pelicans tied Minnesota in the seventh-ranked West with their sixth win in seven games. “We know they miss a lot from the team with Jokic. But it’s important to us that no matter who’s on the pitch. We play at both ends of the pitch.” said New Orleans coach Willie Green. “I thought we did it. Jokic wore street clothes due to a persistent calf strain. That prevented him from winning the game against Philadelphia on Monday night. “When you play MVP, everything is so much easier,” said Denver coach Michael Malone.
(Read Also: A discussion on whether NCAA basketball players should get paid or not?)
For Denver, Bruce Brown added 19 points and Jamal Murray had 21 points. The Nuggets’ lead in the Western Conference was cut to three games against Memphis, with six games remaining. “I don’t think about it too much; I just try to win every night,” Brown said. “Because we have a slight advantage, we’re focused on trying our best every night.”
Malone said after the game that Murray, who played 36 minutes, was unsuitable for Friday night in Phoenix; and Jokic’s status has yet to be determined. Malone added that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope almost sat out Caldwell-Pope as he wasn’t feeling well, but he lasted 28 minutes.
Struggling with no goal scorers, rebounders, or assists, Denver’s first-half attack scored just 40 points with a 34.8 percent shot. The Nuggets were 4-28 from 3-point range that night and scored 28 points below the season average. “We just didn’t shoot,” Brown said. “We shot 14% from three and were terrible from the free throw line. It was a game.” Two of Ingram’s triple-doubles came in the last five games. “He’s playing at a high level,” said Green. “Everyone can see him showing his game and we give him a lot more ball to be the quarterback.”
