In the final contest of the NBA's five-game Christmas Day slate, the New Orleans Pelicans came into Denver and spoiled the franchise's first Christmas home game in 25 years.
On the other hand, the Pelicans picked up their first-ever win on the holiday, in the process snapping the Nuggets' seven-game win streak.
Here are the biggest takeaways from this upset:
Brandon Ingram continues career year
The Pelicans' offseason acquisition found his stroke against the Nuggets on the road.
He scored 11 points in the first quarter and finished with an efficient 31 points (11-19 FG's) including seven 3-pointers while also recording seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 36 minutes.
In the @PelicansNBA win, Brandon Ingram set a new #NBAXmas record for 3PM in a single game with 7, surpassing the previous mark of 6 held by Kyle Kuzma (2017), Kevin Love (2017), and Ryan Anderson (2011). pic.twitter.com/Yz2oX6t9fF
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) December 26, 2019
His seven threes were a career-high and a record for most threes made in a Christmas Day game.
This is Ingram's seventh 30+ point game in 28 games this season. He's averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, and assists, making him a strong early candidate for the Most Improved Player Award.
Rough game for Nuggets' key players
Over the last seven games for the Nuggets - all wins - Nikola Jokic averaged 21.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, and 2.1 turnovers on 55.4% shooting from the field.
While he did finish with 23 points and 10 rebounds in today's game, he managed just four assists, way off his average, and finished with five of the team's 15 turnovers, while shooting 8-of-20 from the field.
Paul Millsap failed to score in his 16 minutes, while Jamal Murray only finished with eight points (2-10 FG's) in 28 minutes. In fact, the Nuggets starters were outscored by 28 (84-56) by their counterparts.
Pelicans clinch game with late run
Over a four-minute stretch from the 6:00 minute mark to the 2:00 minute mark in the final period, the Pelicans opened the game up with a late run.
With six minutes to go, they led 96-92 but over the next four minutes, five different Pelicans register a field goal to spark the game-sealing 13-5 run.
While Ingram stole the headlines with his production on the night, point guard Jrue Holiday had a huge contribution as well with 20 points, eight assists, six steals, and two rebounds. He was a team-high + 18 in his 31 minutes on the floor.
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