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The Charlotte Hornets will put their four-game winning streak in the 2020-21 NBA on the line when they face the Denver Nuggets at the Ball Arena on Wednesday. The cross-conference matchup on Wednesday will pit two teams that have had quite a successful series of games in the past two weeks.
The Charlotte Hornets have won four straight and five of their last six games, with several players contributing to their cause. Although Gordon Hayward is the team’s undisputed leader, a different player has stepped up almost every game to lead the team in scoring.
Similarly, the Denver Nuggets have been victorious in six of their previous seven outings. With MVP candidate Nikola Jokic leading the way, the team has survived a three-game slump of Jamal Murray.
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The 6' 3" shooting guard has been averaging just 9.7 points on a horrendous 27.5% from the field during his last three outings. His shooting has been so poor that his 3-point shooting (33.3%) is a lot better than his overall field-goal percentage. Nevertheless, the Denver Nuggets have found a way to win.
Match Details
Fixture - Charlotte Hornets vs Denver Nuggets | 2020-21 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Wednesday, March 17th; 9:00 PM ET (Thursday, March 18th; 6:30 AM IST).
Venue - Ball Arena, Denver, CO.
Charlotte Hornets Preview
A confident and capable Charlotte Hornets side is headed to Colorado to challenge the Denver Nuggets. The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the better teams recently, and they have shown more maturity and spunk than perennial playoff contenders such as the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors.
From the starters to the bench, the Charlotte Hornets have players who can score 20 or more points on any given night. There was LaMelo Ball, who led the team in scoring on two recent occasions, with 23 and 30 points. Then, there was P.J. Washington, who did the same, recording a team-high of 42 points in one game and 20 in another.
Denver Nuggets reserve guard Malik Monk had a four-game stretch in which he scored at least 20 points and averaged 23.8 points per game. Moreover, there was Terry Rozier, who had a series of four straight games in which he averaged 36 points per contest and a high of 41.
The fact that we haven’t even mentioned Hayward’s performances speaks volumes about how good and deep this Charlotte Hornets team is. It will be quite a challenge for the Denver Nuggets not knowing what to expect from their opponents.
Key Player - LaMelo Ball
LaMelo Ball has been the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award for some time now. For the season, he is putting up 15.8 points, six rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.6 steals a ball game. He leads all rookies in those four categories this campaign.
While these numbers are already impressive, they have actually been rising since he became a starter for the Charlotte Hornets 18 games ago.
The Charlotte Hornets guard’s style of play has inspired his team to greater heights, and it shows in his team's performance. Since Ball became a starter, the Charlotte Hornets have an 11-7 record compared to 9-11 when he was coming off the bench.
Against the Denver Nuggets, Ball will likely be going up against Will Barton, who has also been playing well for his team. This duel could be one of the better matchups to watch out for during this game.
Charlotte Hornets Predicted Lineup
G LaMelo Ball, G Terry Rozier, F Gordon Hayward, F PJ Washington, C Cody Zeller.
Denver Nuggets Preview
Despite expected to contend this season, the Denver Nuggets started out as underachievers. But in the past two weeks, they have finally started resembling the team that made a run to the Western Conference Finals last season.
Despite Jamal Murray’s struggles, the Denver Nuggets have gotten by, as Will Barton and Michael Porter Jr. have stepped up in the last few games.
In his last four games, Barton has put up 20 points while shooting a sizzling 58.6% from the three. Porter Jr. has fared better, in fact, averaging 22 points and nine rebounds a game during the same period.
Their 23-16 record is tied with the Portland Trail Blazers, making the Charlotte Hornets game one that the Denver Nuggets need to win to keep their fifth-place standing in the West.
Key Player - Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic is having the best season of his career. Now that the Denver Nuggets are finally winning again, his efforts are getting more recognition, and he is receiving MVP consideration. In fact, as the season has progressed, the Joker has actually got better.
In his last six games, Jokic has averaged 30.3 points, 12.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game. The points and rebounds are up from his season averages of 27.3 and 11.2, while the assist numbers have remained the same.
If he were to win the MVP award this season, the Denver Nuggets big man would be the first center to win the coveted award since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000.
However, Jokic has a lot of work to do before he can lay claim to that distinction. In particular, he has to carry his team to one of the top two seeds in the Conference to have a fighting chance to win the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. His work continues with the game against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
Denver Nuggets Predicted Lineup
G Jamal Murray, G Will Barton, F Michael Porter Jr., F Paul Millsap, C Nikola Jokic.
Hornets vs Nuggets Match Prediction
Under normal circumstances, picking the Denver Nuggets to win would have been an easy choice to make. But that’s not the case this season, as the Charlotte Hornets have made a case for why they deserve more respect than they usually get.
What’s concerning for the visitors, though, is Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller, who is doubtful to lock horns with Jokic. There’s also the duo of Barton and Porter , against whom the Charlotte Hornets may not have an answer for. The same goes for Murray, who could break out of his slump in this game.
Nevertheless, the Charlotte Hornets have depth and are unpredictable, making them a dangerous team to face. But it’s still safe to pick the Denver Nuggets to win, given the number of veterans in their roster and how they’ve emphatically come together at the right time.
Where to watch Hornets vs Nuggets?
The Charlotte Hornets vs Denver Nuggets game will be televised locally by FOX Sports Southeast Charlotte and Altitude Sports. The match can also be live-streamed with an NBA League Pass.
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