The Charlotte Hornets couldn’t contain the Denver Nuggets’ outside shooting as they dropped an important game on the road.
The Charlotte Hornets (23-30) were defeated by the Denver Nuggets (29-25) as their three-game winning streak was snapped. Denver was on fire from beyond the three-point line while Charlotte looked sluggish playing at the highest-altitude stadium in the NBA on the second night of a back to back. Kemba Walker still managed to score 20 points but was limited to only 13 field goal attempts.
Marvin Williams‘ was Charlotte’s lone inactive player as he missed his fourth straight game with an ankle injury. The good news is that Marvin’s injury isn’t serious and he should make his return next time out. In his fourth game back, Cody Zeller remained on a minutes restriction as he only played 17 minutes.
Game Story
After battling back from a 14-point deficit in the first half, the Hornets didn’t have enough gas left in the tank to compete in the second half as the Nuggets extended their lead to as much as 19 points in the fourth quarter. The difference in this one was Denver’s outside shooting as they shot 52.9% (18-34) from three compared to only 42.3% (11-26) for Charlotte. The Nuggets have won every game at home against an opponent who is in the second half of a back to back so far this season.
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Player of the Game
Kemba Walker finished the game with a team-high 20 points to go along with four assists and three rebounds. It was his 32nd game with at least 20 points this season. Although he was a -14 in +/-, the point guard made three three-point shots and went 5-6 from the free throw line.
Dwight Howard added 19 points and seven boards while shooting 81.8% (9-11) from the field. Nicolas Batum scored 15 points while Jeremy Lamb led the Hornets’ second unit with 14 points off of the bench. Treveon Graham continued his strong play with 11 points. Frank Kaminsky (9) and Micahel Kidd-Gilchrist (2) combined for only 11 points.
The Nuggets were led by Gary Harris who ended the night with a game-high 27 points. He made all five of his three’s in the first quarter. Jamal Murray and Will Barton each put up 18 points while Nikola Jokic had a monster double-double with 15 points and 16 assists. He nearly had a triple-double with seven assists. Emmanuel Mudiay (12), Trey Lyles (11) and Darrell Arthur (10) rounded out Denver’s double-digit scorers.
Highlight of the Night:
Tweet of the Game:
"Quick Stings"
- This game featured four lead changes and three ties.
- Denver’s bench narrowly outscored Charlotte’s second unit, 40-39.
- Dwight Howard’s 12-game double-double streak was snapped.
- The Nuggets out-rebounded (41-36) and outscored the Hornets in points in the paint (52-48).
- Denver outscored Charlotte 15-6 in fast break points.
With the loss, Charlotte falls to 1-1 on the year against Denver as they split their season series. The Nuggets snapped a three-game regular season losing streak to the Hornets that dated back to the 2015-16 season.
Next: What Kemba Walker means to the City of Charlotte
In their next outing, the Hornets will travel Northwest to take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, February 8th. It will be the third game of Charlotte’s four-game road trip and the second and final meeting between the two teams. Steve Clifford’s side will look to bounce back against the backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.