Nuggets 102, Pelicans 93
J.J. Hickson totaled 19 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and Denver had five players finish in double figures to knock off visiting New Orleans.
Wilson Chandler turned in 19 points for the Nuggets, who bounced back after a loss to lowly Utah on Friday. Nate Robinson added 14 points off the bench for Denver, which has won seven of its last eight games on its home court.
Ryan Anderson scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the Pelicans, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Austin Rivers finished with 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting off the bench for New Orleans, which played without a key reserve in guard Tyreke Evans, who missed the game with an ankle injury.
The Pelicans closed out the first quarter on an 11-2 run, with Rivers and Brian Roberts accounting for all 11 points in the spurt to send New Orleans into the second frame up 27-24. A pair of free throws from Anderson staked the Pelicans to a 52-47 lead as halftime drew close but the Nuggets would answer with the final five points to tie the contest.
Led by six points from Chandler and five from Ty Lawson, Denver began to take control in the third quarter, and ended the period up 75-68 after limiting New Orleans to just 16 points in the stanza. In the final quarter, the Nuggets pulled away, paced by seven points from Hickson, whose dunk with 1:24 to play help thwart a late Pelicans' rally and enabled Denver to coast down the stretch.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The home team has won six straight times in the series between Denver and New Orleans. ... After failing to register a single point on a joint 0-for-9 shooting effort in a loss to Utah on Friday, guards Lawson (12 points) and Randy Foye combined for 19 points and 10 assists for the Nuggets. ... Anderson has scored 13 points or more in all 13 games he has played this season.