National Basketball Association
Denver 102, Charlotte 95
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 23, 2023
Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Officials:
#36 Brent Barnaky, #65 Nate Green, #29 Mark Lindsay
Attendance:
19165
By Field Level Media
Michael Porter Jr. scored 22 points and Jamal Murray posted 20 points as the Denver Nuggets cranked out a couple of key second-half stretches to keep their hot streak going by defeating the host Charlotte Hornets 102-95 on Saturday night.
Nikola Jokic provided 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets, and Aaron Gordon had 14 points. Murray had 12 rebounds.
Denver, which held the Hornets to one point in the final 3:23, went 3-0 on a road trip in advance of a Christmas Day showdown with the Golden State Warriors. The Nuggets have won seven of their past eight games.
Christian Braun's 11 points and Julian Strawther's 10 points were key bench contributions for the Nuggets, who withstood 43.3 percent shooting from the field to win another road game. Porter was key from the perimeter by going 5-for-8 on 3-pointers, in part making up for the team's limited chances at the free-throw line (12-for-14).
The Hornets lost their seventh game in a row despite 22 points from Miles Bridges, 20 points from P.J. Washington and 19 points from Nick Smith Jr. Charlotte, playing without guard Terry Rozier, who was a game-time decision based on a sore knee, was 8-for-28 on 3-pointers. Rozier took part in some warm-ups.
Nick Richards provided 12 points and 15 rebounds for the injury-ravaged Hornets, who were charged with 18 turnovers.
The Nuggets outscored Charlotte 30-9 in the third quarter to wipe out a halftime hole.
The Hornets were down 91-76 early in the fourth quarter before making a big move. Smith's 3-pointer pulled them within 97-94 with 3:24 left.
Charlotte had two possessions to make it closer or pull even before Jokic scored in the lane. Jokic added two free throws for a 101-94 advantage with 1:08 remaining.
The Hornets led 60-54 at halftime behind 16 points from Washington and 14 from Bridges. Charlotte held the upper hand despite 2-for-10 shooting on threes.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Denver |
|
Charlotte |
|
Michael Porter Jr. 22 |
Scoring |
Miles Bridges 22 |
|
Nikola Jokic 9 |
Assists |
Ish Smith 8 |
|
Jamal Murray 12 |
Rebounds |
Nick Richards 15 |
|
Aaron Gordon 4 |
Free Throws Made |
P.J. Washington 7 |
|
Jamal Murray 3 |
Steals |
P.J. Washington 4 |
|
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 4 |
Blocks |
Miles Bridges 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Denver
|
102 |
43.3 |
12-30 |
12-14 |
25 |
48 |
13 |
11 |
17 |
| Charlotte
|
95 |
38.6 |
8-28 |
19-23 |
23 |
47 |
11 |
8 |
18 |
Upcoming Games
-
Charlotte will play their next game on the road against L.A. Clippers. The Hornets have a W/L % of .143 after a win and .300 after a loss.
-
Denver will play their next game at home against Golden State. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .714 after a win and .600 after a loss.
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