Saturday, March 4, 2017

Pepsi Center

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The Charlotte Hornets travel to Pepsi Center to play the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, March 4, 2017. The opening line for this matchup has Denver as 3 point favorites.

The Hornets come into this game with an overall record of 26-35. They are 4th in the Southeast Division. They currently have a point differential of 0.2 as they are averaging 104.8 points per game while giving up 104.6 per contest. The Nuggets have an overall record of 28-33. They currently are 3rd in the Northwest Division. They are averaging 110.8 points per game and surrendering 111.4, good for a point differential of -0.6.

Nicolas Batum comes into this contest averaging 14.9 points per game while playing 34.6 minutes per night so far this season for the Hornets. He pulls down 7.2 rebounds per game and dishes out 6 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 40% while his free throw percentage is currently at 84%. Kemba Walker averages 22.9 points per game in 34.6 minutes per contest this season. He averages 5.5 assists per contest and 4.1 rebounds per game for Charlotte. His field goal percentage is 45% for the year while his free throw percentage is 84%.

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Nikola Jokic averages 15.6 points per game while playing 26.9 minutes per contest this year for the Nuggets. He grabs 9.1 rebounds per game and has 4.6 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 57% and his free throw percentage currently is at 82%. Wilson Chandler averages 15.8 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 30.9 minutes per contest. He also averages 6.6 rebounds per contest and 2.1 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 46% and his free throw percentage is 74%.

Charlotte averages 104.8 points per contest this season which ranks them 18th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is 0.11 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them ranked 29th. Behind the arc they shoot 35% which is good for 19th in the league. They average 44.8 rebounds per game and 23.1 assists per game which ranks them 6th and 11th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 27th with 12.2 per game. The Hornets allow 104.6 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 10th in the league. They also allow a 45% shooting percentage and a 36% average from behind the arc ranking them 9th and 14th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 44.9 rebounds a game which ranks 24th and they give up 23.9 assists per contest which puts them in 25th place in the league. They force 12.9 turnovers per game which ranks them 3rd in the league.

Denver averages 110.8 points per game this year which ranks them 4th in the league. Their average scoring margin is -0.64 and their shooting percentage is 46% as a team which has them sitting in the 9th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 7th in the NBA. They average 46.5 rebounds per game and 24.7 assists per contest which ranks them 1st and 4th respectively. In the turnover department the Nuggets rank 5th with 15.3 per game. The Nuggets allow 111.4 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 28th in the league. They also allow a 48% shooting percentage and a 38% average from behind the arc ranking them 29th and 27th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 40.1 rebounds a game which ranks 1st and they give up 24.5 assists per contest which puts them in 28th place in the league. The Nuggets force 12.1 turnovers per game which ranks them 1st in the NBA.

The Hornets have an offensive rating of 107.4 and a defensive rating of 107.3. In terms of pace they average 96.7 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 50%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 54% and they shoot 3 pointers on 33% of their shots. Charlotte turns the ball over an average of 11.2 times per 100 possessions and they force 11.8 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 51%.

The Nuggets rating on offense is 112.4 and they have a defensive rating of 113.1. They get 98 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 52%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 56% and they attempt 3 pointers on 32% of their shot attempts. Denver turns the ball over on 13.4 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 11 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 53%.

Charlotte Hornets Betting Trends

The Charlotte Hornets are 25-33-3 against the spread

The Charlotte Hornets are 30-31-0 against the over/under

Denver Nuggets Betting Trends

The Denver Nuggets are 32-28-1 against the spread

The Denver Nuggets are 40-20-1 against the over/under

Charlotte Hornets Injuries

03/03/17 C Frank Kaminsky Shoulder is downgraded to expected to miss Saturday vs. Denver
02/22/17 C Miles Plumlee Calf out indefinitely
02/06/17 PG Ramon Sessions Knee out indefinitely

Denver Nuggets Injuries

03/03/17 PG Jameer Nelson Illness probable Saturday vs. Charlotte
02/28/17 F Kenneth Faried Back expected to miss 7-10 days

Josh's Pick: Take Denver -3

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