Pelica Debrief
Fansided

New Orleans Pelicans Podcast: Pre-Game Pod With Nugg Love Expert Matthew Huff

By Preston Ellis

Dec 20, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) battles Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) for position during the first half at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) battles Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) for position during the first half at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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With ten games left to play, the upcoming triple header means everything for the late surging New Orleans Pelicans.  We sit down with Mathew Huff, the site expert at FanSided’s Nugg Love, to pick his brain on the upcoming Sunday Night clash in the Mile High.

Tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets is the biggest of the New Orleans Pelicans’ season. Tensions are high, as the Pels and Nuggets face off in a massive battle.

We had a conversation on the latest Pelican Debrief Podcast, with Matthew Huff (Huff_Melo7) of FanSided’s Nugg Love (@Nugg_Love). Below is an excerpt of the conversation. If you would like to listen to the whole conversation, click the player below:

Preston (@PrestonEllis): 

Let’s get to the game.  You’ve got our boys at home tonight.

The last time these teams faced each other was the first game of this season.  AD put up 50 and 15 in a loss, 107-102, on a very different Pelicans team.  The Nuggets were led by the no longer Nugget, Jusuf Nurkic, with 23 points.

On the Pelicans side, five guys played ten or more minutes who are no longer on the team! That includes the immortal Lance Stephenson.  There was also no Holiday, and obviously no Boogie.

The Pels have been hot lately, winners of five of seven, including big wins against the Grizzlies, Blazers and Rockets.  The Nuggets shut down the King, lost to the Rockets in a thriller and easily beat the seventh seeded Pacers on Friday.

What are you expecting to see tomorrow night from these two squads who are seemingly playing their best basketball?

Mathew (@Huff_Melo7): 

I am expecting a very high scoring affair.  These are two electric teams right now.  The Nuggets are still trying to hold onto that final playoff spot, so there will definitely be a lot of desperation in the air.  It would not surprise me if two players put up 30 or more from each team.

I think the Nuggets will opt for their big lineup, probably putting Plumlee in that starting rotation with Jokic to compensate for AD and Boogie’s length and size down low.  I don’t see the small ball lineup working too well against those two players.  They are very underrated as two way players.  I think talk of scoring guards and wing being two way players gets overblown in this league, the Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompsons of the world etc.

People underestimate how good the Boogies, ADs, and the Marc Gasols are as two way players.

Early on in this triple header, I see the Nuggets matching them Mason Plumlee matched up on Boogie, and Nikola Jokic on Anthony Davis.

Next: New Orleans Pelicans Preview: Pels Season on the Line Versus Nuggets

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