Hornets Dominate Shorthanded Nuggets Behind Brandon Miller’s 23 Points.

Brandon Miller scored 23 points to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a convincing 110–87 victory over an injury-depleted Denver Nuggets team on Sunday night in Denver. Charlotte jumped out early and never looked back, handing Denver one of its most lopsided losses of the season. Tidjane Salaun provided a strong spark off the bench with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner added 17 points and six boards. Collin Sexton finished with 14 points and five assists, and LaMelo Ball contributed 10 points, six assists, and three steals. Miller has been on a scoring tear, averaging 25.7 points over his last three games. Charlotte entered the contest having lost four of its previous six games and had struggled historically against Denver, winning just once in its last ten meetings. However, the Hornets took advantage of a Nuggets roster missing five of its top eight scorers. Denver played without Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun, and Jonas Valanciunas, who together average more than 77 points per game. Without those key contributors, the Nuggets—who lead the NBA in scoring, field-goal percentage, and three-point shooting—were held to season lows in both total points and three-point efficiency.

The Hornets opened the game with a 29–11 run and carried a 60–34 lead into halftime, fueled by Miller’s 18 first-half points and four made three-pointers. Charlotte extended the margin to as many as 33 points in the second half.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 16 points, ending his streak of three consecutive games with at least 30 points. The loss dropped the Nuggets to 7–5 since Jokic was injured on December 29 against Miami, after having won six of their previous seven games. Charlotte will return home to host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, while Denver is set to face the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Tuesday.