National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Denver 129, Charlotte 104
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Officials: #15 Zach Zarba, #46 Ben Taylor, #54 Ray Acosta
Attendance: N/A
By Field Level Media

Michael Porter Jr. produced 28 points and 13 rebounds, Nikola Jokic finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Charlotte Hornets 129-104 on Monday night.

Denver's Will Barton scored 23 points, Jamal Murray had 19 and PJ Dozier added 13. Facundo Campazzo dished out 10 assists for the Nuggets, who earned their seventh win in eight games.

Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 21 points and Malik Monk added 16, all in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach. LaMelo Ball contributed 14 points for the Hornets, whose four-game winning streak ended.

The Hornets jumped out to a nine-point lead in the first five minutes of the game. Barton, as he did Monday in a victory over the Indiana Pacers, had a strong first quarter and helped Denver get back in it in a hurry. His 3-pointer ignited nine straight Denver points to put the Nuggets in the lead, 23-21.

Miles Bridges had a dunk and a layup to pull Charlotte within a point heading into the second quarter.

JaMychal Green made two short jumpers, Dozier hit a pair of 3-pointers and Murray drained another from deep to put Denver ahead 39-30. Two 3-pointers from the Hornets cut the deficit to three, but the Nuggets slowly built their lead back up.

Porter had a layup, Murray sank a 3-pointer and Jokic tipped in a basket for Denver, which closed the first half with seven straight points to lead 57-45 at intermission.

The Nuggets continued their surge after halftime. Barton hit a pull-up jumper, Paul Millsap made a layup, Jokic scored on a shot in the lane and Porter dunked to put Denver ahead by 65-45.

The teams traded baskets for a few minutes to keep it a 20-point game before Murray hit a trio of 3-pointers and Porter made another from behind the arc to spark another Nuggets surge and produce a 95-67 lead after three quarters.

Jokic had seven assists in the period to notch another triple-double, his 11th of the season and the 52nd of his career.

Denver led by as many as 34 points in the fourth quarter.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Charlotte   Denver
Terry Rozier 21 Scoring Michael Porter Jr. 28
Gordon Hayward 6 Assists Facundo Campazzo 10
P.J. Washington 6 Rebounds Michael Porter Jr. 13
Malik Monk 7 Free Throws Made Will Barton 5
Caleb Martin 3 Steals Facundo Campazzo 4
P.J. Washington 1 Blocks Bol Bol 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Charlotte 104 45.0 12-38 20-28 25 33 1 11 17
Denver 129 57.8 16-44 9-13 37 48 3 12 16
Upcoming Games
  • Denver will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .542 after a win and .688 after a loss.
  • Charlotte will play their next game on the road against L.A. Lakers. The Hornets have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .526 after a loss.