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.
Julian Strawther’s 10 points and Christian Braun’s 11 points off the bench were crucial to the Nuggets’ victory as they overcame 43.3 percent shooting from the field. Porter was crucial from outside the area, going 5-for-8 on 3-pointers to partially offset the team’s meagre 12-for-14 free-throw shooting performance. Despite 22 points from Miles Bridges, 20 points from P.J. Washington, and 19 points from Nick Smith Jr., the Hornets have now dropped their eighth straight game. Due to a sore knee, guard Terry Rozier had to leave the game early, and Charlotte ended up shooting 8 of 28 from beyond the arc. Rozier engaged in a few warm-up exercises.
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 three
