New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) battle for the ball in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015. AP
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana—Denver’s Danilo Gallinari scored a season-high 32 points, New Orleans’ Anthony Davis hurt his left shoulder in the first quarter, and the Nuggets defeated the downtrodden Pelicans 115-98 on Tuesday night.
Jameer Nelson scored all 16 of his points in the last 14:10, helping Denver secure its fourth victory in five games. Will Barton added 17 points and Gary Harris 16.
Ryan Anderson scored 24 and Eric Gordon 19 for the injury-riddled Pelicans, who were able to stay within single digits most of the game before fading in the final minutes.
Ish Smith added 13 points, while Luke Babbitt and Dante Cunningham each scored 11 for New Orleans, which has lost four straight and has only one victory in 11 games this season.
Davis missed all three of his shots before leaving the game for good about halfway through the first quarter.
Denver hit 15 of 30 3-point attempts, with Gallinari making five of eight. Nelson shot 4 of 6 from deep, all of them demoralizing for a reeling Pelicans team struggling to keep pace.
The Nuggets shot 52.9 percent (45 of 85) overall. New Orleans finished at 49.4 percent, but missed 16 of 23 3-point attempts.
Gallinari scored 15 points during the third quarter, helping Denver turn a two-point halftime deficit into a lead as large as 11 late in the period.
Early in the quarter, he hit twice from 3-point range and also converted an alley-oop dunk as he was fouled. Later in the period, Denver hit four straight jumpers, including 19- and 25-footers by Nelson, the latter putting the Nuggets up 83-72.
Both teams were playing with patchwork lineups because of injuries to several starters or regulars. It only got worse for New Orleans when Davis went out.