Voshon Lenard and Nick Van Exel combined for 21 of Denver's 28 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Nuggets erase a 78-68 deficit after the third.
Van Exel, who scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth, hit a jumper to give Denver a 96-95 lead with 1:45 to play. But Eldon Campbell answered with a pair from the line 11 seconds later to give Charlotte the lead for good.
 Denver's Scott Williams and Charlotte's Elden Campbell see how low they can go. William R. Sallaz NBAE/Getty Images |
The Nuggets had a chance to take the lead, but George McCloud missed an uncontested layup with 47 seconds to go.
On their ensuing possession, the Hornets were called for a 24-second violation after Zendon Hamilton blocked P.J Brown's layup.
The Nuggets set up for the go-ahead basket, only to have Calbert Cheaney miss a jumper from the top of the key with six seconds left.
"It was a pick-and-roll and we wanted McCloud and (Raef) LaFrentz rolling," Van Exel said. "It was prettty good defense and I was just trying to create a little space."
Van Exel played his first contest since revealing that he wanted to be traded and was booed during pregame introductions.
"Actually, I thought it would be more," said Van Exel, who handed out a season-high 15 assists. "A little booing is not going to hurt me. I've been through so much I just go out and play. It's frustrating. We just have to bounce back."
Jamaal Magloire clinched the victory by dunking with one second left.
"It was hard," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. "We were kind of fatigued. It was real gut check tonight, but we came through with flying colors. Our second unit as a whole really played well. It was a total team effort. We just wanted to win by any means posible."
Lee Nailon scored 20 points and Brown added 18 for the Hornets. Cambell chipped in with 16, while Matt Bullard and David Wesley also reached double figures with 14 and 11, respectively.
"We didn't get much in the paint," Campbell said. "Raef's talented. He got out there early. I think he had 17 in the first quarter. P.J. actually played him tough and held him at the end. We're lucky to be going home at 500."
LaFrentz scored 23 and James Posey added a season-high 22 for the Nuggets, who have dropped five straight and nine of their last 10. They shot 40.9 percent from the field, the sixth time in the last seven games they were under 41 percent.
"We just need to get a break and win a ballgame, Denver coach Dan Issel.
Charlotte opened a 42-32 lead on Campbell's hook with 7:11 left in the first half before settling for a 53-45 lead at the intermission.
The Nuggets took a 66-64 lead on Lafrentz's layup with 4:02 left, but the Hornets ended the period with a 14-2 spurt to open a 78-68 lead on Bullard's 3-pointer at the buzzer.
"Tonight, we probably had just one bad quarter, which was the second, and the breakdown at the end of the third," Van Exel said. "When you have to double-team, you have to leave someone and we were running at their shooters a lot."