The Denver Nuggets (13-11) has been a thorn in the New Orleans Pelicans (13-12) side in every meeting this season and without Anthony Davis, it seemed like it would be much of the same. However, DeMarcus Cousins played like a man possessed on Wednesday night with a 40 point game to come away with a 123-114 win in the Smoothie King Center.
After an early back and forth, the Nuggets began to pull away with a 15-4 at the 5:50 mark of the first quarter to get out a to a double digit lead. However, the Pelicans fought back late and tied it up at 33 points at the end of the quarter thanks to a driving layup from Jrue Holiday.
The second quarter was a constant back and forth throughout with the Nuggets lead staying within five points. Cousins was a key part of the rally in the second quarter and helped give the Pelicans a 67-66 lead at the break.
The third quarter was a little more interesting with the lead changing six times with the Pelicans going up by as much as eight points with 34 seconds left. Mudiay nailed both of his free throws late to make it 97-91 headed into the fourth.
The Pelicans pushed their lead out to double digits early in the fourth quarter with a 15-2 run early in the fourth and never looked back. The Nuggets were able to chip away at the lead, but it was a case of too little too late for Denver.
The Pelicans will return to action on Friday when they host the Sacramento Kings (7-17) with tipoff set for 7 pm.
-Clint Domingue