NEW ORLEANS – Luke Babbitt scored 22 points and Tim Frazier had 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, leading the injury-riddled New Orleans Pelicans past the Denver Nuggets 101-95 on Thursday night.
Babbitt had 10 of the Pelicans’ first 12 points and scored on a driving layup with 2:08 left to give them a 94-89 lead. After Denver cut the deficit to 94-91, Babbitt hit two free throws and Frazier sank a 3-pointer to seal the game.
New Orleans took the lead for good, 81-80, on Frazier’s high-arching shot early in the fourth quarter. He then scored six points on a three-point play and 3-pointer to give the Pelicans a 92-84 advantage.
Toney Douglas added 20 points and a season-high 10 assists for New Orleans.
Darrell Arthur tied a career high with 24 points for Denver, which is on the verge of following the Pelicans and being eliminated from the Western Conference playoff picture. Gary Harris added 16 points for the Nuggets, and Kenneth Faried had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Pelicans received plenty of contributions from players who were not on the roster at the beginning of March.
Frazier was signed to a 10-day contract on March 16 before being re-signed for the rest of the season. Jordan Hamilton, who signed a 10-day contract on March 25, scored 14 in his second game as a starter. James Ennis, who was signed Wednesday, added 11 points.
The Nuggets, who won at Memphis on Wednesday to keep their faint playoff hopes alive, could not take advantage of the Pelicans’ lack of familiarity. In one sequence during the third quarter, the Nuggets botched consecutive fast breaks when a crosscourt pass hit the bottom of the net and an attempted alley-oop sailed over Faried’s outstretched fingers.
There were 13 lead changes in the first quarter, six in the second quarter and seven in the third, with neither team pulling ahead by more than six points. Denver scored the last six points of the third quarter to go ahead 78-77.
Despite losing, Denver completed its first winning month of the season, going 9-8.
Denver will host Sacramento on Saturday.
