The Denver Nuggets are back where they are most comfortable which is…checks notes…on the road. Despite a four games losing streak at home, the Nuggets have made it nine straight victories away from Ball Arena. They look to make that streak hit double digits today as they face the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte is bad, but hey, when you decide to draft, re-sign and continue to employ a veritable piece of shit (sorry, not sorry) like Miles Bridges, you reap what you sow. When you’re just cool with having a convicted domestic violence felon (who once threatened his girlfriend he’d withhold child support if she called the police) on your team well, we see what kind of culture you endorse and heading for your tenth straight losing season is no surprise.
The Basics
Who: Denver Nuggets (16-6) at Charlotte Hornets (7-16)
When: 4PM MST
Where: The place where a man who once threw billiard balls at his ex-girlfriend’s car so hard they broke the windshield while his child was in it plays. Charlotte, NC.
How to watch/listen: Altitude TV and Altitude Radio 92.5FM. Assault your significant other in front of both of your kids and Charlotte will sign you to a $75 million contract.
Rival Blog: At The Hive
The Matchup
PositionNuggetsHornetsAdvantagePGJamal MurrayKJ SimpsonNuggetsSGCam JohnsonKon KnueppelNuggetsSFPeyton WatsonBrandon MillerHornetsPFSpencer JonesMiles BridgesHornetsCNikola JokicRyan KalkbrennerNuggetsBenchBruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardaway Jr., Zeke NnajiTidjane Salaun, Liam McNeeley, Sion James, Moussa Diabate, Antonio ReevesNuggets
Injury Report: Aaron Gordon – out (hamstring), Christian Braun – out (ankle), Julian Strawther – out (back), DaRon Holmes II – out (G-League), Tamar Bates – out (G-League); Moussa Diabate – questionable (knee), LaMelo Ball – out (ankle), Pat Connaughton – out (calf), Josh Green – out (shoulder), Tre Mann – out (knee), Collin Sexton – out (quad), Grant Williams – out (knee).
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: The Hornets bigs vs. Inevitability
Mar 28, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) works the ball inside against Charlotte Hornets center Mason Plumlee (24) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Moussa Diabate may not play today, the Hornets are currently starting a rookie second round pick at center. They’ve got a 6’10 second year lottery pick who has underperformed and finally they have he of left hand shooting lore, Mason Plumlee. Not exactly the stalwart lineup you’d want to face the best player on earth. This is a game where Nikola Jokic needs to be aggressive. Put the young pups in their place, remind your old buddy Mason why he never was a regular starter after he became your teammate and drop 35/11/11 on these guys. Denver has pretty much owned Charlotte for the better part of a decade and I expect that to continue. This afternoon’s game should be a no doubter and Nikola has the matchup to exploit more than anyone else.
The thing to remember: Nobody actually wants Miles Bridges (LMAO)
The funny thing about Bridges is, he sucks so much on the court now that there’s zero chance people are overlooking his off the court behavior. Bridges is taking up a second job in masonry on the court right now with all the bricks he’s laying and that’s resulted in a 42% field goal percentage. He shoots nearly eight three point attempts a game despite shooting well below league average at 31.8%. The guy is a bona fide chucker. Charlotte seems to have realized this and is pivoting to Brandon Miller (provided a friend with a firearm that was used to commit a murder) and Kon Knueppel. Unfortunately for Charlotte, they apparently tried to trade Bridges last year but no one wanted him. They’re probably willing to take even less for him this year considering his inefficient game and his general standing as a terrible human being but thus far, no takers.
The thing to bet: Jokic over 10.5 assists (-114)
Given that Charlotte has zero hopes of defending Jokic one on one I’m expecting they will blitz and double him often today. That will play into Jokic diming up his teammates and I don’t have a ton of concerns that he will hit his average of 11 assists a game.
