The shorthanded Nuggets suited up for the second night of a back-to-back on Sunday evening, this time with the Charlotte Hornets in town.
The Nuggets—already without Nikola Jokić, Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun, and Jonas Valanciunas—also rested Aaron Gordon. That put them in a tough spot against the second-best rebounding team in the NBA.
The Hornets played to their strengths, launching threes in the first half and crashing the glass all night long. The Nuggets lost by their largest margin at Ball Arena this season, tying the mark set against the Atlanta Hawks.
Final score: 110-87.
Hornets Let it Fly Early
The Hornets entered the game ranked fifth in three-point attempts per game and fifth in three-point percentage. They let it fly against the Nuggets.
Charlotte shot 7/12 from deep in the first quarter, and got 20 threes up before halftime. Brandon Miller did most of the damage, shooting 4-of-6 from three-point range in the first half alone.
They took their foot off the three-point pedal as the game went on. It quickly turned into a blowout.
Hornets Dominate the Glass
As expected, the Hornets dominated the glass. They entered the game ranked fourth in offensive rebounding percentage and first in defensive rebounding percentage.
The Nuggets, playing without either of their centers and Aaron Gordon, started DaRon Holmes II at center. They simply couldn’t hang in the rebounding battle.
Charlotte grabbed four offensive rebounds in the first quarter and outrebounded Denver 17-7. It got even worse in the second. By halftime, the Nuggets were trailing 34-16 on the boards, and Charlotte had pulled down eight offensive rebounds.
When the dust settled, Charlotte finished with a 61-36 rebounding advantage. Brutal.
Nuggets Ice Cold
To make matters worse, the Nuggets couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean. Denver shot 35.1% from the field and 12.5% from deep in the first half. Only Jalen Pickett and Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a three-pointer, and they went a combined 2-for-7. Denver scored just 36 points.
The Nuggets finished the game with 87 points, and their high scorer, Jamal Murray, finished with just 16. They shot 8-for-38 from three-point range.