Davis scores 50, but Pelicans fall to Nuggets
NEW ORLEANS -- Jusuf Nurkic had 23 points and nine rebounds and Will Barton added 22 points to foil a 50-point effort by Anthony Davis and lift the Denver Nuggets to a 107-102 season-opening victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night at the Smoothie King Center.
Davis scored 50 points on 17-of-34 shooting from the field and 16 of 17 free throws. He also grabbed 16 rebounds, blocked four shots and had seven steals. It was Davis' eighth career 40-point game, and he finished nine short of his career high of 59.
The Nuggets won despite committing 25 turnovers.
The Pelicans closed within six points three times in the fourth quarter, but the Nuggets answered each time. Kenneth Faried was a key stopper, drawing two charges and grabbing a tough offensive rebound for a rebound follow. He also assisted on a three-point play by Wilson Chandler that put Denver up 94-85 with 7:09 left.
Davis cut the deficit to 100-98 with two foul shots and a dunk with 2:32 left, but Barton was fouled on a drive and hit both foul shots, making it 102-98.
Davis then made his seventh steal of the game, picking the pocket of Emmanuel Mudiay at midcourt and racing in for the layup, making it 102-100. Mudiay was fouled on a jumper and made one of two from the line. Mudiay added four more free throws in the final 12.9 seconds left for a 107-100 lead.
Davis added 12 points in the third quarter to give him 40 entering the fourth quarter, but the Pelicans still trailed 85-77.
Davis single-handedly kept the Pelicans within shouting distance in the first half, scoring 28 points -- a franchise record for a full game in a season opener -- to go along with five rebounds, five steals and two blocks. But the Pelicans' next-leading scorer had just five points. The four starters besides Davis accounted for 11 points.
The Nuggets demolished the Pelicans 33-16 on the boards in the first half on their way to a 60-48 lead. Their board dominance overcame a sloppy offense that committed 13 first-half turnovers.
Nurkic scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field in the first half and Gallinari added 10, making 2 of 3 from behind the 3-point arc.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, made just 1 of 9 from 3-point range in the half.
NOTES: Opening night saw an intriguing comparison between two highly regarded rookie prospects -- Pelicans G Buddy Hield (sixth overall pick out of Oklahoma) and Nuggets G Jamal Murray (seventh pick out of Kentucky). "I think it was personal preference," New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said of the club's decision to take Hield over Murray. "Jamal, I think, is going to be a really good player, and he was right there on our radar as well. We think both of those guys are going to be great shooters in the league." ... Nuggets coach Mike Malone said Murray would have been Denver's pick even if Hield had been available. "It wasn't close," Malone said. "I say that with no disrespect to Buddy Hield, because he's a helluva player. Jamal Murray was identified by our front office early as guy they had very early on." ... The Pelicans wore T-shirts with a "BDJ 31" logo in memory of Bryce Dejean-Jones, who was fatally shot last May.