In a 102-95 victory on Saturday night, the Denver Nuggets held the Charlotte Hornets to just two field goals in the third quarter, led by 22 points from Michael Porter Jr. and 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists from Nikola Jokic.

Denver defeated the Hornets 30-9 in the third quarter and started the second half on a 25-1 surge, with Jamal Murray contributing 20 points and 12 rebounds.

With 22 points, Miles Bridges led Charlotte, followed by P.J. Washington (20) and rookie Nick Smith Jr. (19), who made five 3-pointers for his career. The injury-plagued Hornets have dropped their last seven games.

Due to a knee injury sustained before the game, Terry Rozier was ruled out for Charlotte, and second-round pick Brandon Miller suffered a sprained ankle after being stepped on by Peyton Watson in the second quarter. Miller limped into the changing area and never came back.

The Hornets’ only silver lining was that Cody Martin saw action for the first time since January 14. Martin hadn’t played at all this season and has only appeared in seven games since the 2022–23 season began. In seventeen minutes, he scored six points.

For the past 29 games, the Nuggets have scored more than 100 points in 28 of them.

After halftime, the Hornets led 60-54, but Jokic, Murray, and Aaron Gordon—who finished with 14 points apiece—led the Nuggets to a 15-0 start in the second half, which gave them the upper hand. In the third quarter, the Nuggets restricted the Hornets to 2-of-22 shooting, giving them an 18-point advantage.

Smith began to heat up from long range, and the Hornets would come back within three late in the game. Nine points was Smith’s previous career high.

However, Jokic scored on a spin move while carrying five fouls, giving the Nuggets a 99-94 lead. With 43 seconds remaining, Jokic added two more free throws, and the Hornets committed a costly 5-second violation on an inbounds play under their hoop.

A few seconds later, Jokic fouled out, but Denver managed to hold on