The Denver Nuggets defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 102-95, at Spectrum Center on Saturday evening.

The Nuggets (21-10) were not at their best but still secured a comfortable win over the Hornets (7-20) despite playing away from home. The reigning NBA champions got off to a slow start and were outscored 27-25 in the first quarter. Denver struggled to react, allowing Charlotte to boost their lead to six points after a 33-29 score in the second quarter. However, a historically bad third quarter saw Charlotte squander the lead for good. The Hornets scored just nine points and made just two field goals in the entire third quarter, while the Nuggets kept pounding and scored 30 points. Essentially, this translated to Denver having a 15-point lead entering the final 12 minutes. Charlotte won the final quarter by a 26-18 score, but it was not enough to complete the comeback, and the Nuggets closed the game with ease despite an overall subpar performance. With the win, the Nuggets moved to 10-8 on the road. Meanwhile, the Hornets fell to 4-11 at home.

Michael Porter Jr. led the way for the Nuggets with 22 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Nikola Jokic sniffed a triple-double and finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Jamal Murray had 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Aaron Gordon chipped in with 14 points and two rebounds. Christian Braun had 11 points and seven rebounds coming off the bench.

Miles Bridges was the highest scorer for the Hornets after posting 22 points and eight rebounds. Nick Richards chipped in with a 12-point, 15-rebound double-double while also adding three blocks. Gordon Hayward posted eight points. Ish Smith started over the injured Terry Rozier and had four points with eight assists. P.J. Washington had 20 points, eight rebounds and four steals off the bench. Nick Smith had 19 points.