Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans Picks and Predictions for Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Denver returns to New Orleans on Wednesday, hoping to pick up its second victory over the Pelicans in five days. The teams played Saturday in Denver, where the Nuggets escaped with a 141-135 overtime win. Wednesday's game starts at 8:00 pm ET at Smoothie King Center and will be available on NBA League Pass. Denver is 1-2, fourth in the Northwest Division, after losing 134-114 to Golden State on Monday. New Orleans remains fifth in the Southwest Division at 0-3. Cash a winner with our free NBA picks.

Denver Nuggets Have Some Defensive Problems

One win from three games isn't how Denver wanted to begin the season. The Nuggets scored only 84 points in their opening defeat to Oklahoma City before bouncing back against New Orleans. That victory required overtime, with Denver eventually putting up 141 points. Monday's meeting with Golden State was another rough outing. The Warriors won 134-114, handing Denver its second defeat. The Nuggets haven't found much consistency yet, particularly defensively. They've now conceded 269 points across their last two games, despite having one of the league's strongest rebounding groups.

Nikola Jokic is averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds, along with 7.5 assists. His passing continues to open up scoring chances, although Denver hasn't been shooting particularly well. Jamal Murray is another important contributor, scoring 24 points per game while hitting 47.1% of his three-point attempts. Aaron Gordon has added 13.5 points, and Trevon Brazile has provided help on the glass. Denver is shooting 43.6% overall, a figure the Nuggets will want to improve after three games.

Injuries: Julian Strawther is out. Cameron Johnson, Alpha Diallo and Spencer Jones are questionable.

New Orleans Pelicans Can't Finish Close Games

New Orleans has had opportunities to win every game so far, which makes its 0-3 record particularly frustrating. Indiana visited Smoothie King Center on opening night and left with a 123-120 victory. The Pelicans then traveled to Utah, where they lost 120-119. Saturday's trip to Denver brought another close result. New Orleans forced overtime before falling 141-135. The Pelicans have scored at least 119 points in each contest, but their opponents have kept finding ways to score more. Defensive stops have been difficult to come by during the opening week.

Zion Williamson is leading New Orleans with 20.7 points per game, shooting 56.4% from the floor. Dejounte Murray is close behind at 20.3 points and has also contributed 6.3 assists. Derik Queen has given the Pelicans a presence around the basket with 8.3 rebounds per outing. New Orleans is making 48% of its field-goal attempts, so scoring hasn't been the problem. Finding a way to defend Jokic and the Nuggets without Yves Missi will be a bigger concern Wednesday.

Injuries: Yves Missi is out.

Key To The Game

Denver collected 52 rebounds per game through its early outings, compared with 45.3 for New Orleans. That gap could hurt the Pelicans, particularly with Missi unavailable. Jokic is comfortable playing through contact and finding teammates when defenders move toward him. New Orleans can counter with Williamson's attacks inside and Murray's ability to create shots. Neither defense has looked convincing, so rebounding and turnovers could make the difference. The Pelicans can't afford to give Denver repeated chances to score.

Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans Game Pick

• Denver Nuggets

Saturday's meeting was close enough that New Orleans will fancy its chances at home. The Pelicans scored 135 against Denver and have reached 119 points in every game. But their defense is allowing far too much, and Jokic is a difficult player to contain for an entire evening. Murray has also been shooting well from outside, which creates another problem when the Pelicans send help toward the paint. Denver hasn't looked particularly sharp either, especially against Golden State. Even so, I trust the Nuggets to get more stops when it matters and pick up another win over New Orleans.

Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans Over/Under Pick

• Over

These teams combined for 276 points Saturday, although overtime helped push that number higher. New Orleans has scored at least 119 in all three games and hasn't held an opponent below 120. Denver's defense hasn't been much better lately, surrendering 135 to New Orleans and 134 to Golden State. Jokic should find scoring opportunities against a Pelicans frontcourt missing Missi, while Williamson has already shown he can produce against Denver. Both teams have enough offensive talent to make this another busy night on the scoreboard. I'm expecting plenty of scoring in the rematch, making the over my choice.