3rd Quarter Report
Down six at the end of the second quarter, the Nuggets now have the lead. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Hornets 84-69.
The Nuggets entered the contest having won three straight and they're just one quarter away from another. Will they make it four, or will the Hornets step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.
Who's Playing
Denver Nuggets @ Charlotte Hornets
Current Records: Denver 20-10, Charlotte 7-19
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, December 23, 2023 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Spectrum Center -- Charlotte, North Carolina
- TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $30.00
What to Know
The Nuggets are 8-2 against the Hornets since December of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. Having just played yesterday, the Denver Nuggets will head out on the road to face off against the Charlotte Hornets at 7:00 p.m. ET on December 23rd at Spectrum Center. The Hornets are crawling into this matchup hobbled by six consecutive losses, while the Nuggets will bounce in with three consecutive wins.
On Friday, Denver didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Brooklyn, but they still walked away with a 122-117 win.
Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic were among the main playmakers for the Nuggets as the former scored 32 points along with nine assists and five rebounds and the latter dropped a double-double on 31 points and 11 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Murray scored 30 or more points. Less helpful for the Nuggets was Reggie Jackson's abysmal 0-5 three-point shooting.
Meanwhile, the oddsmakers set the bar high, but the Hornets and the Pacers didn't disappoint and broke past the 245.5 point over/under on Wednesday. Things couldn't have gone much worse for Charlotte as they lost 144-113 to Indiana. The Hornets were surely aware of their disadvantage in the point spread, but the foreknowledge did nothing to prevent the result.
Denver's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 20-10. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 119.5 points per game. As for Charlotte, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost eight of their last nine matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-19 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Nuggets haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 11.2 turnovers per game (they're ranked first in turnovers per game overall). However, it's not like the Hornets struggle in that department as they've been averaging only 13.3 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
As for their next game, the Nuggets are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 8.5 points. This contest will be their ninth straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 6-2 against the spread).
Odds
Denver is a big 8.5-point favorite against Charlotte, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Nuggets as a 7.5-point favorite.
The over/under is set at 226.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Denver has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Charlotte.
- Feb 11, 2023 - Denver 119 vs. Charlotte 105
- Dec 18, 2022 - Denver 119 vs. Charlotte 115
- Mar 28, 2022 - Denver 113 vs. Charlotte 109
- Dec 23, 2021 - Charlotte 115 vs. Denver 107
- May 11, 2021 - Denver 117 vs. Charlotte 112
- Mar 17, 2021 - Denver 129 vs. Charlotte 104
- Mar 05, 2020 - Denver 114 vs. Charlotte 112
- Jan 15, 2020 - Denver 100 vs. Charlotte 86
- Jan 05, 2019 - Denver 123 vs. Charlotte 110
- Dec 07, 2018 - Charlotte 113 vs. Denver 107