When news filtered out that Pelicans superstar big man Anthony Davis would miss Monday’s game with an elbow strain, Nuggets coach Michael Malone texted his team with a simple message: don’t let up. In seasons past, the Nuggets have often played down to the level of their competition — a maddening habit Malone is trying to break his team of 2018-19.

Apparently, Malone’s message was received, though the game got closer than he would’ve liked late, as the Nuggets beat the Pelicans 116-111. The narrow win meant the Nuggets improved to 5-1 and avoided their first losing streak of the season.

Denver led by as many as 18 in the third quarter, but New Orleans whittled it all the way down to two in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets hung on thanks to some strong defensive play and timely buckets.

Gary Harris scored some big baskets down the stretch, and he finished with 23. Jamal Murray scored 15 of his 23 points in the first half. Nikola Jokic had a ho-hum 12-point, nine-rebound, 10-assist performance. Trey Lyles scored a season-high 17. Malik Beasley was excellent on both ends; he tallied 12 points and six rebounds.

Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic led the way for New Orleans. Randle needed only 13 shots to score 24, while Mirotic had 17 on 7-for-17 shooting.

The Nuggets hit the road for a pair of games against the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday and Thursday before returning for a home date against the Utah Jazz on Saturday.