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Jamal Murray erupted for 23 points in the first quarter alone and finished with a game-high 34, while Nikola Jokic posted 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds as the Denver Nuggets held off the short-handed Charlotte Hornets 115-106 on Sunday night at Spectrum Center.
The victory extended Denver’s franchise-record road winning streak to 10 games and improved the Nuggets to 17-6, the best start through 23 games in team history. Denver has now won 14 of its last 16 contests and owns the NBA’s second-best road record at 10-1.
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 points off the bench, and the Nuggets’ reserves outscored Charlotte’s second unit 42-32 despite being outrebounded 47-35 overall.
The Hornets, who dropped to 7-17, were severely depleted, playing without six rotation players including star point guard LaMelo Ball (ankle) and backup Collin Sexton (hamstring). Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but went 0-for-6 from three-point range. Brandon Miller contributed 16 points, and rookie Liam McNeeley provided a major spark off the bench with a career-high 13 points, hitting 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
Murray, still riding the wave of last week’s 52-point, 10-three-pointer performance against Indiana, shot 14-of-25 from the floor but scored just nine points after halftime. That’s when Jokic took over, scoring 23 of his 28 points in the second half and repeatedly carving up Charlotte’s defense with a blend of post touches, floaters and pinpoint passes.
Denver led by as many as 13 in the fourth quarter, but the Hornets refused to fold. A Brandon Miller three-pointer plus the ensuing free throw after being fouled cut the deficit to seven with under four minutes remaining. Charlotte could get no closer, however, as Jokic answered with a banked-in triple and Murray sealed the game at the line.
The first half belonged to Murray’s onslaught; the Nuggets still trailed 58-57 at the break after Charlotte controlled the glass and generated 10 second-chance points. Denver flipped the script after halftime, outscoring the Hornets 31-23 in the third and 27-25 in the fourth while holding Charlotte to 38.5% shooting for the game.
Mason Plumlee started at center for the injured Mark Williams and finished with 12 rebounds and three blocks, but the Hornets simply lacked the firepower to match Denver’s two superstars for 48 minutes.
The win capped a perfect 5-0 Eastern Conference road trip for the Nuggets, who now head home to face Sacramento on Thursday. Charlotte, mired in a 3-9 home record, hosts Chicago on Friday still awaiting the return of several key pieces.
Denver’s dynamic duo of Jokic (29.4 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 10.2 apg) and the resurgent Murray has the Nuggets firmly in the Western Conference contender conversation, while Charlotte’s young core showed flashes of promise but was ultimately overwhelmed by superior talent and depth.
