Nuggets (6-5), Pelicans (1-10)
Their projected starting center was ruled out of Tuesday’s game not long before tip-off, due to a stomach illness. Their two-time All-Star power forward only played six minutes before he too was done for the night, the result of a left shoulder injury. Over a span of less than 30 minutes of real time Tuesday, the New Orleans Pelicans’ incredible string of bad luck and misfortune was summed up by the absences of Omer Asik and Anthony Davis. Playing without those two – along with several other key players – the Pelicans were competitive with the Nuggets for about three quarters, but Denver overpowered its hosts in the fourth quarter.