Nuggets vs. Pelicans Odds & Betting Predictions - January 14, 2026

Join Discord: https://discord.gg/NcyhmJVXPe

This is a perfect time to fade the Nuggets after coming off a win on Sunday. My long standing theory since last season is that the Nuggets without Nikola Jokic are a bottom five, if not worse, team in the NBA. Since Jokic has gone down, the Nuggets are just 4-4. That .500 record isn’t horrible, but we’ve already seen glimpses of how bad this team can be without Jokic. They lost by 12 to the Nets and by 23 to the Hawks. Sure, they’re coming off a win against the Bucks, but I’m not buying into that win. To make matters worse for Denver, they’re also still without Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun, and Jonas Valanciunas. On top of those injuries, Jamal Murray is questionable tonight with both an ankle injury and an illness, and I wouldn’t be shocked if we see Murray sit. That’s potentially three starters absent for this game. I don’t care how bad you think the Pelicans are, this team is perfectly capable of getting a win over the C version of the Nuggets. As I’m writing this, Saddiq Bey was just upgraded to probable, which is a big boost for New Orleans. Back to my original point: Denver without Jokic loses its entire identity. Jokic is their centerpiece and everything goes through him. Their four wins without Jokic aren’t a realistic expectation moving forward. Losing the best player in the world is going to hurt, and I think we see Denver severely struggle until he returns. With Jokic in the lineup, the Nuggets own a 126.0 offensive rating, the best in the NBA. With him out, that offensive rating drops to 113.6, which is a drastic drop off. Overall, they have a +7.3 net rating with him in versus a -4.2 net rating without him. That is an 11.5 point swing. It can’t be understated how much he means to this team, and when you pair that with the other injuries, it does not look promising for Denver. I also like this young Pelicans team. They play teams tough and have been much better at home, averaging over eight more points per game at home than on the road. This bet is a complete fade of the Nuggets, but don’t sleep on this New Orleans team. This is also a revenge spot for the Pelicans after losing by seven to a full strength Nuggets team back in November. Give me the Pelicans to cover at home.

The Pelicans take on the Denver Nuggets and this is a spot to back Zion. Zion has seen his minutes climb into the low 30s lately so his restrictions seem to be off. He’s been an absolute wrecking ball when he’s had the chance this season too. He averages 22.8 points per game but he’s a bit of a feast or famine type of scorer. When the matchup is elite he is very strong. Here, Denver essentially has no bigs without Jokic and Valanciunas and they’ve been highly susceptible to driving threats. Jalen Johnson, MPJ, Barnes, Randle, and Giannis have all crushed their prop lines against Denver of late. Zion is of that same ilk, and I expect success tonight.

@kylemurray03 ⭐️⭐️ https://myaction.app/x89tq0xCTZb