Live · Period 4 · 0:00.0
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2026-27 · Regular season
Denver Nuggets beat New Orleans Pelicans 116-108 as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combine for 49 points and 19 assists
Nikola Jokic had 26 points and 10 assists and Jamal Murray added 23 as Denver opened the fourth on a 9-0 run and handed New Orleans a sixth straight loss. Zion Williamson scored 24 for the Pelicans.
In this article
Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds, Jamal Murray added 23 points and 9 assists, and the Denver Nuggets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 116-108 at Smoothie King Center on Saturday, November 14. Denver opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run to pull away after the Pelicans had cut a late third-quarter deficit to two.
The Nuggets improved to 7-4 and have won four of their last five games. They are 3-0 against New Orleans this season. The Pelicans fell to 4-10 and have lost six straight.
Video: NBA / X.
A record for Jokic and Murray
The night also gave the Denver duo a piece of history. According to the league, Jokic and Murray became the first pair of teammates since tracking began in 1997-98 to record 1,000 or more assists to each other.
Jokic shot 9-of-14, went 7-of-7 at the line and had 3 steals. Murray shot 9-of-16 with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks and finished a game-high plus-16. Christian Braun scored 17 with 7 rebounds and 4 steals, Cameron Johnson had 12, Aaron Gordon 11, and DeMar DeRozan 9 off the bench. Marvin Bagley III added 7 points and 7 rebounds in 13 minutes.
New Orleans keeps it close for three quarters
The Pelicans scored the first five points on a three and a floater by Jeremiah Fears, but Denver answered and led 19-11 midway through the first quarter. The Nuggets were up 29-23 after one.
Murray scored three straight baskets midway through the second quarter to make it 44-36, and Denver led 49-40 with 3:12 left in the half. New Orleans closed to 52-51 on a Jaron Pierre Jr. layup with 53.7 seconds left before Gordon’s three put the Nuggets ahead 56-51 at halftime. Jokic had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists at the break.
Denver pushed the lead to 80-69 on two Murray free throws with 3:45 left in the third. The Pelicans then scored 13 of the next 17 points, including threes by Pierre, Derik Queen and Karlo Matkovic, and Matkovic’s shot with 32.1 seconds left cut it to 84-82. Two Jokic free throws made it 86-82 going into the fourth.
Video: New Orleans Pelicans / X.
Denver’s fourth-quarter push
Spencer Jones opened the fourth with a driving layup, Bagley added a tip-in and a free throw, and Murray and Johnson scored on drives as Denver went up 95-82 with 9:11 left. DeRozan’s turnaround jumper made it 102-87 with 6:38 to go, the Nuggets’ biggest lead.
Jokic was called for a defensive three-second technical with 4:30 left, and Saddiq Bey’s free throw and a Zion Williamson layup cut it to 106-96. Braun answered with a three from Murray for a 109-96 lead. Williamson’s three-point play made it 109-101 with 1:56 left, but Jokic made two free throws and Braun’s dunk with 39.5 seconds left put the game away at 113-101.
Around the box
Williamson led New Orleans with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 6 rebounds. Bey scored 16 but shot 4-of-15, Jordan Poole had 14 off the bench and made all 7 of his free throws, and Fears finished with 13 points and 7 assists. Pierre, a rookie, scored 13 in 23 minutes, and Queen and Herbert Jones had 10 each. Yves Missi returned from a knee injury and had 3 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks.
The Pelicans made 13 of 33 threes to Denver’s 4 of 16, but the Nuggets outscored them 62-44 in the paint, made 28 of 37 free throws to New Orleans’ 21 of 33 and won the rebounding battle 47-38. New Orleans played without Trey Murphy III (knee), Dejounte Murray (ankle) and Bennedict Mathurin (foot). Denver was without Julian Strawther (knee). Attendance was 15,721.
What’s next
The Nuggets host the Phoenix Suns on Monday, November 16, at 9 p.m. ET (4 a.m. Tuesday Cairo time). The Pelicans host the Golden State Warriors on Monday, November 16, at 8 p.m. ET (3 a.m. Tuesday Cairo time).
Full box score and play-by-play: Game Center. All-time head-to-head.
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