New Orleans Pelicans: 3 questions entering the game vs. the Nuggets
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Denver Nuggets: Who will win points in the paint?
One of the points of emphasis entering this season was to limit points in the paint, which is big part of Stan Van Gundy’s defensive philosophy.
The Pels defense overall hasn’t improved much but they have gotten better in this area, going from 28th in the NBA last season to 8th this season in points in the paint allowed.
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The Pelicans are 2nd in the NBA at scoring in the paint, largely because Zion Williamson is virtually unstoppable once he gets there.
The Nuggets are 10th in the league at scoring in the paint and 7th at stopping opponents from scoring them, so this battle will likely determine the outcome of the game.
Steven Adams could still be out, so the Pels are going to need a team effort to try and stop Jokic, who is scoring 14.4 points in the paint himself and lit the Pelicans up the last time they played.
If the Pels can limit his action in the paint (good luck, Willy Hernangomez!) and Zion does his thing, they should be able to get a win.
This looks like an old school battle of two teams who thrive at the rim.