Nuggets bring a top-six offense to Pacers without Haliburton

The Denver Nuggets (4-3) bring the league's sixth-best offense to Indiana on Saturday, November 7, where the Pacers (3-6) play without Tyrese Haliburton, their leader in points and assists.

The Nuggets score 115.1 points per 100 possessions and post an effective field goal percentage of 56, fourth in the league. Indiana's defense ranks 18th, in the middle of the pack.

Denver's own defense is the weak end: it allows 114.4 per 100, 24th in the league. Indiana's offense ranks 21st at 108.6, short of the scoring that would punish that hole.

Rebounding offers little edge. Denver ranks 27th in defensive rebounding, but Indiana collects only 21.8% of its own misses, 29th, and has rarely turned such openings into second chances.

Indiana plays at a pace of 102.4, 10th in the league. Denver ranks 29th and prefers to grind possessions.

Jamal Murray leads Denver with 25.4 points a game on 47.4% shooting. Nikola Jokic runs the offense from the middle with 9.3 assists and adds 9.7 rebounds.

Ivica Zubac anchors Indiana inside with 7.5 rebounds a game. Quenton Jackson, who leads the Pacers with 1.4 steals, should see plenty of the ball in a thinned backcourt.

Haliburton, who averaged 21.8 points and 9.5 assists in his four games, is out, as are guards Ben Sheppard and Johnny Furphy. Two more Pacers are questionable. For Denver, Julian Strawther is out and DeMar DeRozan is probable.

The Nuggets beat Toronto 128-109 in their last game. Indiana comes off a 107-103 win at Memphis, and its recent results include a 145-125 loss at Miami.

Tip-off is at 5 p.m. ET. Sportsbooks' prices give Denver a 71% chance to win; Keel's projection, built from the players available, puts it at 73% with a 7.6-point margin.