What: Charlotte Hornets (7-23) at Denver Nuggets (23-11)

When: 9:00 PM EST

Where: Ball Arena; Denver, Col.

How to watch: Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass

Outfitting: Hornets–Association (white), Nuggets–Icon (blue)

Game Lines: Hornets +15.5, O/U 225.5

Injuries:
Hornets: LaMelo Ball-out (ankle), Gordon Hayward-out (calf), Frank Ntilikina-out (leg), Terry Rozier-questionable (illness), Mark Williams-doubtful (back).

Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar-out (knee), Aaron Gordon-questionable (dog bite), Reggie Jackson-probable (calf).

preview

Following a short break in the midst of a five-game, 12-day road trip, the Charlotte Hornets are in Denver to kick off 2024 against the Nuggets.

Tonight’s game rounds out the season series between the Hornets and Nuggets. In the first matchup on Dec. 23, Charlotte played arguably its best first half of the season, going into the locker room up 60-54 on the defending champs. In typical 23-24 Hornets fashion, that half was followed up by a nine-point third quarter during which the game completely flipped in favor of Denver. The Hornets held the Nuggets to 18 points in the fourth quarter but ultimately lost 102-95.

That was the seventh loss of what is now a 10-game losing streak. The Hornets are due to squeak out a win sooner or later — we’re quite as bad as the Pistons, at least — but the odds are not going to be in their favor tonight with Terry Rozier potentially out and Denver coming off two days of rest.

Denver looks primed to defend its title with a deep playoff run this spring. The Nuggets join Boston, Philadelphia and Oklahoma City as the only four teams inside the top-8 in offensive and defensive rating, they lead the league in assist-to-turnover ratio by a wide margin, and above all, Nikola Jokic remains the best basketball player in the world. The two-time MVP averages 26.1 points, a league-leading 12.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 2 stocks; he seems well on his way to consideration for a third MVP award.

If you want a reason why teams like the Nuggets achieve sustained success and teams like the Hornets do not, look no further than the players coming off Denver’s bench. All of its prominent reserves were drafted by the organization within the last three years except Justin Holiday, Reggie Jackson, DeAndre Jordan, veterans who were brought in for specific purposes. Christian Braun, Zeke Nnaji, Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson all play at least 10 minutes per game and in the case of Braun and Watson, have become integral two-way pieces in Mike Malone’s lineups. Credit to general manager Calvin Booth and his staff for hitting on so many recent draft picks while selecting no higher than 21st since he began his tenure in 2020.

Being realistic, there’s a slim chance the Hornets end what is now the NBA’s longest active losing streak tonight. The defending champs are at home coming off two days of rest, and Charlotte could be missing all four of its best players if Rozier and Williams sit. But there’s always hope.

Random note: shout out to the Hornets social media and digital content team. The content the team has been posting across all social platforms and on its website has been consistently high-quality and creative despite the underwhelming season. Live in-game highlights are crisp and well-shot, Sam Perley’s written previews and recaps are informative and frequently capturing moments are much appreciated when the nightly on-court product can be a rough watch.