Nuggets Survive Shootout as DarkHorse Under Gets Torched 276-237.5

Well, that back-to-back fatigue theory just got obliterated in the Denver altitude. The Pelicans and Nuggets combined for 276 points in a 141-135 barn-burner that made our under 237.5 look like wishful thinking from the opening tip.

So much for tired legs suppressing offense. New Orleans came out firing on the second night of a back-to-back, completely ignoring the memo about regression and poor shooting variance. Both teams shot the lights out in a game that featured more offensive fireworks than defensive effort, turning our projected slugfest into a track meet with a scoreboard operator working overtime.

Denver's offense—which we noted struggled mightily in their opener at 37.8% shooting—apparently found their rhythm in a big way. The Nuggets needed every bit of it too, as the Pelicans refused to fade down the stretch despite the supposed back-to-back disadvantage. This wasn't tired legs and slower tempo; this was two teams trading haymakers for 48 minutes.

The under missed by a staggering 38.5 points, one of those nights where the handicap looks brilliant on paper but gets steamrolled by reality. Cameron Johnson's absence? Irrelevant. Pace concerns? Laughable. Sometimes basketball just decides to be basketball, and Wednesday night in Denver was pure offensive chaos.