The Charlotte Hornets (14-40) could not pull off another shocking victory as they did the night before in their upset over the Los Angeles Lakers, losing to the Denver Nuggets 129-115 on Thursday night.
Both LaMelo Ball (ankle management) and Mark Williams were unavailable for the second night of the back-to-back after playing in Wednesday night’s game.
The first quarter was a display of efficient offense from both teams, who each shot 50% from the field. Though trailing 38-30 to start the second, the Hornets used a 12-4 surge to tie the game at 42. The Nuggets answered using their championship metal, responding forcefully with a 10-0 run of their own.
The Hornets controlled the third quarter coming out of the locker room 38-30 but still went into the final frame trailing by three, 99-96. The Hornets’ anemic start to the all-important fourth quarter, coming up empty on their first six shot attempt, along with the Nuggets’ impactful 13-2 run, extending the Nuggets’ lead to 14, 112-98, effectively helping Denver seal the game.
Miles Bridges was a bright spot in the loss, scoring a game and season-high 36 points on 12-of-23 from the field, while collecting 13 boards, 7 assists, and 3 steals, doing a little bit of everything.
Josh Green had his best outing of the year, adding 19 points, while Nick Smith Jr. continued his strong February with 12 points, his seventh double-digit scoring game this month.
The Nuggets (37-19), who have now been victorious in nine consecutive games, had four starters in double figures.
Embed from Getty ImagesJamal Murray led the Nuggets with 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting, including 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. Nikola Jokic was just shy of his signature triple-double with 29 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 assists. Aaron Gordon added 18 points, while Christian Braun contributed 10.
Denver set a season-high with 19 made three-pointers, while Charlotte shot a respectable 15-of-37 from distance.
Despite the outcome, both teams matched each other in points in the paint (52) and fast break points (15). The Nuggets won the battle of the boards by a wide margin, outrebounding the Hornets 55-45.
The Nuggets won the season series 2-0 and have now won seven straight against the Hornets.
The Hornets face the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on Saturday (10 PM ET), continuing their west coast road trip.
The Nuggets host LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday Prime Time ABC.
