Nuggets vs Hornets Prediction

Charlotte Hornets (7-19) vs Denver Nuggets (19-10)

Game Info: Saturday, December 23, 2023 at 7:00 pm (Spectrum Center)

Betting Odds: Charlotte Hornets +8.5 -- Over/Under:

The Denver Nuggets pay a visit to the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center on Saturday night. Here’s a Nuggets vs Hornets Prediction.

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets have been in great shape as they’ve won six of their last seven games overall and they will be gunning for a fourth straight win after sneaking past the Nets in a 122-117 road win last night. Jamal Murray led the team with 32 points and nine assists, Nikola Jokic tallied 31 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists, Aaron Gordon scored 18 points while Michael Porter Jr. chipped in with 15 points. As a team, the Nuggets shot 51 percent from the field and 11 of 26 from the 3-point line, but this wasn’t an easy win at all as they were actually trailing in this one before they went on a pivotal 22-10 run in the third quarter to start to pull away. The Nuggets will take on the Warriors after this one.

Charlotte Hornets

Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets have been in a major slump as they’ve lost eight of their last nine games overall and they will be hoping to arrest a six-game slide after getting routed by the Pacers in a 144-113 road loss on Wednesday. Terry Rozier led the team with 25 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, Brandon Miller added 21 points on nine of 17 shooting while Miles Bridges chipped in with 19 points. As a team, the Hornets shot 47 percent from the field and eight of 31 from the 3-point line as they were right in the contest, until the second quarter where the Pacers explode for 40 points. Things only got worse in the second half for the Hornets with their reserves getting outscored by 70-33.

Charlotte Hornets Player Facts

• Brandon Miller ranks 2nd amongst qualified rookies for points per game (15.0) this season.
• Terry Rozier ranks T10th in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for FT% (87.5%) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Hornets have missed the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons - longest active streak in the NBA
• The Hornets rank 30th in the league for Q1 points per game this season (25.6).
• The Nuggets rank 30th in the league for free throw percentage this season (73.0%).
• The Nuggets rank 1st in the league for Q1 opponent points per game this season (25.6).

Nuggets vs Hornets Prediction

One of the hottest teams in the league takes on one of the coldest teams as the Nuggets visit the slumping Hornets in their last game before Christmas. The Nuggets have barely missed a step in their last seven games and they are also at full strength for this one, while the Hornets just can’t buy a win these days and they just got thrashed by 31 points in their last outing. The line is a bit hefty and the Nuggets are only 9-8 SU on the road so far, but I’m expecting the Nuggets to take care of business with an easy win here.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.