NEW ORLEANS — Getting themselves to the point where a killer instinct is needed to finish an opponent off has been a Nuggets specialty of late. Good starts have led to good play — generally — in the second and third quarters, all leading up to … a collapse.
Wednesday, however, brought change.
An emphatic change. And that change came at an opportune time.
The Nuggets snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 93-85 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans by doing something they hadn’t during all the losing — seeing a good start through to the end.
It was evident things were different just by the general look. There was determination down the stretch where it had been missing for seven games. Screens were set with more purpose. Feet moved on defense. Mouths spoke up and communicated in spots they hadn’t.
Nuggets Mailbag: Pose a question for Christopher Dempsey
The weight of a long losing streak had finally gotten heavy enough for the Nuggets to want to do something about it. Really do something about it.
The crew playing with four minutes to go was unorthodox: Jameer Nelson, Arron Afflalo, Danilo Gallinari, J.J. Hickson and Darrell Arthur. They had stemmed the tide of momentum New Orleans was playing with to get the game within reach. But it was up to the starters — Ty Lawson, Afflalo, Wilson Chandler, Kenneth Faried and Jusuf Nurkic — to get the win that had eluded the Nuggets for two weeks.
And they did it.
Afflalo’s jumper with 27.2 seconds to go put the Nuggets up by eight and sent the fans at the Smoothie King Center scrambling to the exits.
And, for once, the players could smile after a job well done.
“I felt like we’ve been getting close,” Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. “But we just haven’t been able to finish. This game had the feel of a lot of those other games, where I felt we were pretty much in control the entire game.
“Tonight we made the plays that it took to win the game. It’s a different vibe in the locker room after a win like that.”
The foundation for the victory was built early.
After making just three of their first nine shots, the Nuggets made 10 of the last 12 in the first quarter and had a double-digit lead right off the bat. That lead was pushed to 16 in the second quarter before settling in at 10 at halftime.
But the Pelicans were far from done. They used the third quarter to get right back into game, outscoring the Nuggets by 10 to tie it at 70 going into the fourth.
A fourth in which the Nuggets pulled through.
“It was good for us to lock down defensively,” Afflalo said. “And I think we won the game on the defensive end.”
Afflalo led the Nuggets with 20 points. He was 4-for-7 from 3-point range as Denver made 10-of-17 (58.8 percent) from long range in the game. Nurkic added 15 points and nine rebounds.
Lawson struggled shooting, going 2-for-12 and finishing with five points, but he handed out 13 assists as the Nuggets doubled the Pelicans (30-15) in that category.
“It feels great,” Lawson said. “The seven-game losing streak is now off our back and now we move forward.”
Tyreke Evans scored 25 to lead New Orleans, which shot just 39 percent from the field, including only 20 percent from 3-point range. Anthony Davis added 24 points and 12 rebounds.
PHOTOS: Denver Nuggets 93, New Orleans Pelicans 85, Jan. 28, 2015
“We held a team under 100 points for the first time in a while,” Shaw said.
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or twitter.com/dempseypost
DENVER AT MEMPHIS
6 p.m. Thursday, TNT; 950 AM
Spotlight on Zach Randolph: He has been so consistent over the years, you can almost just mark the double-double down. Randolph helps put the “grind” in Grind House, bullying opponents in the post on post-ups, forcing his way to the rim. And he has been more efficient this season. His 17.1-point average has come on just 13 shots per game. He adds 11.9 rebounds to help form — along with Marc Gasol — one of the NBA’s most imposing frontcourts.
