Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans Picks, Prediction, Odds, Line Movement for Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Use Code WWWC Western Conference foes battle in this Nuggets vs. Pelicans prediction. Denver (26-13) has stayed afloat with their two-time MVP Nikola Jokic sitting out due to a knee injury. New Orleans (9-32) has been awful this season, partially due to injuries. Denver is a 3.5-point favorite and the total is 235.5. The Nuggets have won both matchups this season, but covered just one of them. These teams meet on Tuesday night from New Orleans at 8 PM ET. Check out more free NBA Picks and college predictions at Winners and Whiners.
No Joker, No problem
Denver has won three of their last four games, with their only loss coming against Atlanta (110-87) on Jan. 9. Not only was Jokic out with a knee injury, but Jamal Murray also sat the game out. On Sunday, Denver rebounded with a 108-104 win over Milwaukee at home as a 6-point dog. Murray sat out that game as well, but Tim Hardaway Jr. (25 pts) and Aaron Gordon (23 pts) stepped up with big games.
Murray is listed as questionable with an ankle injury, along with an illness. He's averaging 25.3 points per game and is shooting 44.3% from long range. Gordon, who has played in just 17 games due to injuries, returned on Jan. 4 and has averaged 17.3 points per game and seven rebounds in his last four games. The Nuggets are decimated right now with Murray questionable, Christian Braun (ankle) out, backup center Jonas Valanciunas (calf) and F Cameron Johnson (knee) out. Not including Murray, that's about 60 points per game missing from the rotation.
On DunksandThrees.com, the Nuggets are ranked fifth in Adjusted Net Rating, first in Adjusted Offense and 26th in Adjusted Defense.
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Will the Pels make a trade in a few weeks?
The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 5 and New Orleans may not deal some of their top players. The Pels have been brutally bad despite getting Zion Williamson back healthy. Williamson had 22 points in their 128-118 loss at Orlando on Sunday. The 25-year-old forward has stayed healthy, for the most part, playing in 25 of the team's 41 games, missing his most games in early November and early December, but despite having him and Trey Murphy III (21.6 ppg) missing just one game, this team has lost 10 of their last 11 contest.
Williamson hasn't been quite as explosive as in recent years, averaging 22.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 57.7% shooting. Rookies Derik Queen (12.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 4.3 apg) and G Jeremiah Fears (14.4 ppg, 3.1 apg) are reasons why the Pelicans have some hope for the future.
The biggest issue for New Orleans starts on the defensive side and that's where they miss F Herbert Jones (ankle), who has missed 18 games this season and hasn't played since Jan. 6. He's out while G Saddiq Bey (ankle) is questionable. Bey is averaging 15.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest.
According to Dunks and Threes, New Orleans is ranked 28th in Adjusted Net Rating, 25th in Adjusted Offense and 28th in Adjusted Defense. Teams are shooting 48.6% from the field against them to rank 28th in the NBA.
Nuggets vs. Pelicans Picks, Prediction and Odds
Spread Picks for Nuggets vs. Pels
- Denver -3.5 (4 units)
It's hard to pick New Orleans right now, even though Williamson and Murphy are healthy. Denver went for depth in the offseason, adding some key players, and it shows. Even without Joker and Valanciunas, they've gone small with 6-8 Aaron Gordon at center, and it has worked due to his leaping ability and length. The Pels are playing Queen at center (6-9, 250), so it's not like they have a big advantage there. When the chips are down, good teams like Denver find players to contribute in rough times and that player has been Peyton Watson, who is averaging 23.7 points and 6.9 rebounds in his last seven games. Take the Nuggets to continue their strong play against a Pels' team that has covered just one of their last seven games and has lost 10 of 11.
- Under 235.5 (4 units)
Denver is just trying to get through these games without key players and with a thinner bench, they can't run a ton. In fact, they rank 23rd in pace of play to begin with. Despite their wretched defense, the Pelicans have gone under in five of their last six games. Denver has played three straight unders as their offense has been missing Murray, who is questionable in this game. Even if he plays, he could be limited in terms of minutes.
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