Charlotte Hornets fall at home to Denver Nuggets 114-112

For the second straight game, the Charlotte Hornets have lost in the closing stages when they had the chance to win.

Every loss is terrible in the NBA, but the Charlotte Hornets just suffered their second straight loss where they had a chance to win on the final possession. On Thursday night, the Hornets lost in the closing stages against the Denver Nuggets 114-112.

This was a game that the Hornets should’ve won, as the team just could not finish in the final minutes. In recent games, the Hornets have given up too many scores at the end of the fourth quarter.

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The Hornets held the Nuggets’ best players in check for a majority of the game, but could not guard them in the fourth quarter. The Hornets were playing so well, that they had players like Nikola Jokic very frustrated.

After being hit with a technical earlier in the game, Jokic had to sit for some stretches because he was in foul trouble.

However, the officials made a questionable choice to not give Jokic a second technical after he screamed at the officials and delayed the game by grabbing the ball in the fourth quarter.

While the Hornets cannot rely on the officials to win games, this no-call had to make fans wonder why Jokic’s behavior was not looked at. Jokic played the entire game frustrated after being held in check by Cody Zeller.

Nevertheless, the Hornets got a lot of production from their young players in this game, and Devonte’ Graham showed everyone that he’s got his groove back. Graham led his team in scoring with 24 points, and he also finished with seven assists.

Terry Rozier, who missed the game-winning three, finished with 19 points and five made three-pointers. PJ Washington also had a strong game, as he finished with 20 points and six rebounds.

As the Hornets continue to be among the worst paint-defending teams in the league, they could not guard the paint in this loss. The Nuggets finished with 54 points in the paint, while the Hornets had 46.

Just like in the first matchup that they lost, the Hornets failed to make the Nuggets work for their shots. The Nuggets finished shooting 53% from the floor, while only making eight three-pointers.

The Hornets have a lot to work on after suffering a third straight demoralized loss at home. The Hornets will finish their four-game homestand at home on Saturday night against the Houston Rockets.