By Matt Rochinski, hornets.com
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Result
Charlotte’s three-game winning streak came to an end in the second game of the Hornets four-game West Coast trip as they fell 121-104 on Monday in Denver. Kemba Walker led the way with 20 points for Charlotte and Treveon Graham had his second strong performance off the bench, finishing with 11 points in 26 minutes.
Turning Point
One day after rallying from a 21-point deficit to win in Phoenix, the Hornets erased a 14-point Nuggets lead in the first half before heading to the locker rooms at the break down, 63-62. Charlotte kept it close early in the third when Kemba Walker’s two free throws at the 7:59 mark trimmed Denver’s lead to 68-66. As was the case most of the night, the Nuggets caught fire from long range as Nikola Jokic and Will Barton connected on back-to-back three’s followed a Gary Harris three-point play and two Jokic free throws in an 11-0 run that pushed the lead to double digits, 79-66, and Charlotte was unable to recover.
Hornets Player of the Game (Pick up your Treveon Graham gear here)
One night after a career-high 15 points in Phoenix, Treveon Graham came off the bench to score 11 points on an efficient 4-of-7 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Graham also added two assists, two steals and a rebound in 26 minutes as a reserve.
Nuggets Player of the Game
Nikola Jokic showed why he’s a potential triple-double threat every night in the post, finishing with 15 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists while also swiping two steals in 33 minutes.
Game Notes
Kemba Walker became Charlotte’s leading all-time, three-point shooter on Sunday in Phoenix and followed up with a team-high 20 points, including 3-of-6 three-pointers, against the Nuggets. Walker also handed out four assists, grabbed three rebounds and grabbed a steal… Dwight Howard scored 19 points to go with seven rebounds. Howard’s streak of 12-straight double-doubles and 15-straight, 10+ rebounding games came to an end in Denver… Nicolas Batum (15 points), Jeremy Lamb (14) and Treveon Graham (11) rounded out Charlotte’s double-digit scorers… Cody Zeller brought down a team-high 10 rebounds to go with eight points in 17 minutes as a reserve… The Nuggets hit eight more three-pointers than their season average, finishing 18-of-34 (52.9 percent) from long range compared to Charlotte’s 11-of-26 (42.3 percent)… The Hornets were outrebounded, 41-36, and outscored in the paint, 52-48… The Nuggets held a 15-6 advantage in fastbreak points.
Quote of the Night
“ For our team, we’re good enough offensively - we’re playing better and better. If we’re not going to defend, we don’t have enough offense to be a great team. When we get to where we get everyone to commit defensively… then we’ll win these games.” – Head Coach Steve Clifford
Next Up<br
The Hornets West Coast road trip continues with a 10 p.m. tip on Thursday against the Trail Blazers in the Moda Center. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.