Pelicans' porous defense faces Jokić after five straight losses

The New Orleans Pelicans host Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets on a five-game losing streak, and the problem shows up on the scoreboard: they have allowed at least 138 points in each of their last four games. Three of those defeats came by more than 30 points, including a 138-87 loss at Golden State on 9 November.

That 51-point margin, with Zion Williamson rested, was only the second 50-point loss in franchise history. The other was a 121-63 playoff defeat in 2009, against Denver. The slide has wiped out a four-game winning streak that followed an 0-4 start, leaving New Orleans at 4-9 and conceding 125.6 points a game.

The roster is thin, too. ESPN's injury report lists Trey Murphy III (knee), Dejounte Murray (ankle), Yves Missi (knee), Trendon Watford (ankle) and Bryce McGowens (elbow) as out. Williamson, averaging 21.7 points on 62.2 percent shooting, is not on that list.

Denver arrives at 6-4 after a 123-118 win in Memphis on 11 November, with Jamal Murray scoring 26.2 points a game and Jokić averaging 10.8 rebounds and 9.0 assists. The Nuggets have won both meetings this season, 141-135 in overtime in Denver and 104-91 in New Orleans on 28 October, when Jokić recorded his 200th career triple-double. The market prices Denver at 84%, slightly above ESPN Analytics' 79.4% matchup predictor.

Is that price still too cautious against a defense in this state, or can Williamson drag a depleted roster into a closer game than it suggests?