NBA: Hornets dominate from the start, beat Nuggets for first time in nine tries

Brandon Miller scored 23 points and the Charlotte Hornets controlled the game from start to finish, leading by as many as 33 points in a 110-87 victory over the host Denver Nuggets on Sunday night.

Rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner tied his career high with 17 points, while teammates Collin Sexton and Kon Knueppel added 14 points each. Tidjane Salaun recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and LaMelo Ball contributed 10 points for Charlotte. The win snapped the Hornets’ eight-game losing streak against Denver.

The Nuggets matched a season-low in total points, falling at home to the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 9 by the same 110-87 score.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 16 points but exited the game with 5:24 remaining in the third quarter. Julian Strawther scored 15 points, Jalen Pickett added 12, and Peyton Watson had 11 for the Nuggets.

Denver remained shorthanded, still without center Nikola Jokic (left knee), forward Cameron Johnson (right knee), center Jonas Valanciunas (right calf), and guard Christian Braun (left ankle). Forward Aaron Gordon also sat out in street clothes for injury management on his right hamstring.

The Nuggets struggled from beyond the arc, missing 22 of their first 24 three-point attempts and finishing 8-for-38 (21.1%) from deep.

Charlotte surged ahead early, building a 22-9 lead midway through the first quarter and extending the advantage to 18 points by the end of the period. Denver’s Tim Hardaway Jr. made three free throws to start the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 33-21, but the Hornets responded with a 12-2 run to take a 45-23 lead with 6:03 remaining in the first half.

The lead reached 23 points after Miller’s three-pointer at the 3:28 mark. Miles Bridges ended the half with a three-point play, giving Charlotte a 60-34 advantage at halftime.

Denver’s 34 first-half points marked a season low and were the fewest the team has scored in the opening 24 minutes in over 11 years.

Charlotte maintained the large lead throughout the third quarter, pushing ahead by 29 points on Ball’s three-pointer with 9:49 left in the period. The Hornets added nine points in the final two minutes of the third, entering the fourth quarter with an 87-57 lead.

—Field Level Media/Reuters