It’s been a while since the Denver Nuggets have played a basketball game. Last Sunday, they completed their homestand with a win over the Dallas Mavericks in the closing seconds. They’re now on a five-game winning streak after sweeping the games at home.

Now, they go back on the road for the NBA Cup. This is their first matchup, and it should be a relatively easy one with where the New Orleans Pelicans are at health wise. Still, every game is important, and it’s important for the Nuggets to approach this one the right way, especially if they want a chance at winning the NBA Cup.

Let’s delve into the New Orleans Pelicans matchup:

Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans

Projected Starting Lineups

Denver: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic

New Orleans: Brandon Boston Jr., Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, Javonte Green, Yves Missi

Key Bench Players

Denver: Russell Westbrook, Julian Strawther, Hunter Tyson, Zeke Nnaji or DeAndre Jordan

New Orleans: Jamal Cain, Jaylen Nowell, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Trey Jemison

Notable Injuries

Denver: Nikola Jokic – QUESTIONABLE, Aaron Gordon – OUT, Vlatko Cancar – QUESTIONABLE, DaRon Holmes II – OUT

New Orleans: It’s easier to just use a picture. It’s a lot.

Key for the Nuggets – Trap Game?

The Pelicans are hurting. Badly. The entire starting lineup outside of Brandon Ingram is out, and they only just got back Trey Murphy to fill in. Their backups in the backcourt, Jose Alvarado and Jordan Hawkins, are also out. Both have given Denver buckets in the past, so the Nuggets should be happy to be facing an injured team…right?

Well, this is what I’d consider Denver’s first real trap game of the year. Everything going well for Denver. They’re riding a five-game win streak. They just had four days off. What could go wrong?

The players that are filling in for New Orleans, while they aren’t perfect, can still get hot for a game. Brandon Boston, Trey Murphy, and Jaylen Nowell in particular have had some big scoring games throughout their careers. Denver must stay disciplined and execute a better defensive game plan if they want to be comfortable in this game.

Important Matchup – Jamal Murray vs Pelicans defense

There’s a possibility that Nikola Jokic misses this game due to personal reasons. If he’s unable to play, then the onus for Denver’s scoring and playmaking falls more squarely on Jamal Murray in the starting lineup. Others can contribute, but with Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and possibly DeAndre Jordan in the starting lineup, it wouldn’t surprise me if Murray took on extra responsibility.

Even if Jokic is available, it’s an opportunity for Murray to go off. The two defenders likely to spend the most time on him are Brandon Boston and Javonte Green. He can attack both matchups and get separation on jumpers. The question is whether he will hit them.

Number of the Day – 19

That’s the current defensive rating rank for the Denver Nuggets heading into this road trip. While Michael Malone has expressed positivity for the way the Nuggets have dug themselves out of an early hole in the standings, he also expressed concern over Denver’s defense. The Nuggets individual defensive ratings during their home stand were 97.2, 115.5, 111.9, 118.4, and 121.2, which would rank 1st, 24th, 13th, 28th, and 30th respectively. That first matchup was against an injured Utah Jazz team without several starters too.

If the Nuggets are going to keep winning at around the 70% pace they’ve established so far, that defense has to be consistently better. Tonight’s a good opportunity to get better against a (very) injured Pelicans squad.

Nugget who should have a good game: Christian Braun

With the benefit of four days rest, I expect Braun to be relentless tonight. His pace on both ends of the floor should help set the tone for the Nuggets, and his ability to attack in transition could earn some easy points in this matchup. On the other end, he will probably spend some time on both Brandon Ingram and Brandon Boston Jr., the two primary creators for the Pelicans right now. Braun has to disrupt those two in some ways. If he can, it’s a good sign for Denver’s chances.