Hornets vs Nuggets

Jamal Murray and the Nuggets have ripped off four straight wins and five of six to climb to 29-13 and solidify themselves near the top of the West, while the Hornets limp into Denver 2-4 over their last six and fresh off a road loss at Golden State on Saturday night. Even without Nikola Jokic, Jonas Valanciunas, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun, Denver has shown it can grind out home wins behind Murray’s 25.3 points and 7.5 assists per game, plus a resurgent Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, and now gets Charlotte at altitude on the second night of a road back-to-back. LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller give the Hornets three near-20-point scorers, but they already dropped a 115-106 decision to Denver in December and now face a Nuggets team desperate to bank wins in a crowded Western playoff race, while Charlotte sits on the fringes of the East play-in. At a modest -133 price, Denver’s combination of current form, home-court edge and matchup history makes the Nuggets moneyline a B-grade play. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 18/01/2026 09:43([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/den))

LaMelo Ball and a fully operational Hornets core have turned Charlotte into a high-variance scoring outfit, averaging over 116 points per game with Ball, Bridges and Miller all near 20 a night, but carrying a bottom-third defensive rating around 117–118 that routinely fuels shootouts. Denver, even without Jokic, has been playing faster and looser offensively with Murray, Gordon, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Watson combining for big totals in recent wins over New Orleans, Dallas and Washington, while their own defense has slipped into the bottom third with a defensive rating in the mid-115s. The first meeting between these teams finished 115-106 despite Charlotte missing both Ball and Collin Sexton, and the Hornets have recently been involved in 250-plus point games against the Warriors and Lakers, suggesting their porous defense and prolific three-point volume translate across styles. With both sides in the lower half of the league defensively, Denver’s injury-thinned interior, and each team hitting the season’s midpoint in need of wins to maintain or chase playoff positioning, the Over 229.5 gets a B- grade for combining a reasonable total with strong offensive ceilings on both sides. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 18/01/2026 09:43([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/cha/charlotte-hornets?utm_source=openai))

Denver’s supporting cast around Murray has been covering for Jokic’s absence just well enough to win games, but not always by comfortable margins, which is why backing the Nuggets -2.5 is only a C+ despite their four-game win streak and 29-13 record. Charlotte’s starting five is healthier than in the December matchup — when Bridges and Miller led the scoring while Ball sat — and with Ball back orchestrating, the Hornets’ perimeter-heavy attack plus improved depth (Kon Knueppel, Collin Sexton, Ryan Kalkbrenner) makes them more dangerous to sneak in under a small number, even if their defense remains suspect. Still, this is a second straight road game in altitude for a 15-27 team with only two wins in its last six, facing a Denver group that already handled them once and is motivated to stack victories to stay clear of the West’s play-in line; that combination nudges the edge to Nuggets -2.5, but the narrow spread and Denver’s injury-ravaged rotation keep it at a middling C+ grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 18/01/2026 09:43([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/cha))