The road to Las Vegas got a little trickier Friday in New Orleans.

The Pelicans handed the Nuggets their first loss of the In-Season Tournament group stage, 115-110. New Orleans and Denver are both 2-1 with the Pelicans owning a tie-breaker thanks to Friday’s win.

The route to advancing out of the group stage could be even more challenging depending on the result of Friday night’s late game between the Clippers and Rockets. Houston is looking for a 2-0 start to the group stage against a Clippers squad that is all but eliminated after starting 0-2.

Prior to Friday’s game, the Nuggets said they were excited about the prospects of the In-Season Tournament. The final four teams will earn a trip to Las Vegas with each member of the winning team taking home $500,000.

“The incentive is always nice. No matter how much money you have $500,000 is nice, especially for young guys who are on their rookie contract and things like that,” Michael Porter Jr. said Thursday. “We all have a collective goal to win, not really for the money, but it’s just competing. It’s what we’ve done our whole life. It’s a tournament setting, so there’s one winner, and we want to come out on top.”

Rookie Jalen Pickett admitted the juiced up paycheck is a little extra motivation for the younger players, but they’re not the only ones talking about the prize.

“They’re talking about it. They want the money, too,” Pickett said prior to the team’s flight to New Orleans.

“We’ve got to play the games. We might as well win. They seem just as excited about it as we are.”

In order to give themselves a chance to advance, the Nuggets will likely need to win their final Group B game against the Rockets in Houston next Friday. The Nuggets have already lost in Houston this season, a 107-104 defeat on Sunday when Nikola Jokic had 36 points, 21 rebounds and 11 assists. Jokic had another historic night in New Orleans, but the Nuggets dropped to 2-3 on the road to start this season.

“We have to find a way to be a better road team,” Malone said Thursday. “We’ve been great at home, but how do we win games on the road against quality teams?”

PELICANS 115, NUGGETS 110

What happened: Denver dropped its first In-Season Tournament game despite a historic night from Nikola Jokic.

The Pelicans turned an eight-point lead at the end of the first quarter to a 69-53 advantage at halftime. New Orleans shot 60.9% from the field and 50% from 3 in the first half. Denver went 3 of 16 from 3 (18.8%) in the first two quarters. The Pelicans quickly made it a 20-point game in the third, but Nuggets made it a nine-point game by the end of the quarter. A hybrid lineup featuring Reggie Jackson, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon closed within three early in the fourth. The Nuggets had a chance to take the lead in the final few minutes, but the Pelicans answered with eight straight points to put it away.

Jokic completed another triple-double in the third quarter and finished with 26 points, 16 rebounds and 18 assists, the first stat line of its kind in NBA history.

What went right: The trip to New Orleans served as a get-right game for Christian Braun, especially on the offensive end. The second-year wing entered Friday’s game with a season-high of 13 points, which came in Denver’s third game of the year. He finished the third quarter with 17 points and matched his career high with 19 points on the first possession of the fourth quarter. He set a new mark a couple of minutes later and finished with 25 points and nine rebounds.

What went wrong: The Pelicans got what they wanted inside and out. Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas did most of their work inside and finished with 26 and 22 points, respectively. The Pelicans also went 12 of 22 from 3 behind Naji Marshall’s 4-for-5 mark and Matt Ryan’s 3-for-5 performance. Denver actually outscored the Pelicans, 66-60, in the paint but finished just 10 of 40 from 3. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Jackson and Aaron Gordon all had looks at tying 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds but couldn’t connect.

Highlight of the night: It was a first half to forget for the Nuggets, but Reggie Jackson had a moment to remember. Early in the first quarter, Jackson cut to the basket, received a pass from Nikola Jokic and floated a layup over a pair of Pelicans. A kiss off the glass gave the Palmer High School product 10,000 points in his NBA career.

Up next: Denver’s road trip continues Sunday in Cleveland, the first game of a back-to-back set which includes a trip to Detroit on Monday.