Denver Nuggets vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction, 12/23/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Denver Nuggets vs Charlotte Hornets

Date: Saturday, December 23, 2023

Location: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC

TV: Bally Sports Southeast-Charlotte

Odds/Point Spread: Denver (-7)

The Denver Nuggets (19-10) are traveling to Spectrum Center on Saturday where they will meet the Charlotte Hornets (7-19). Denver opens this matchup as 7-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The over/under is 226.5.

The Nuggets played the Raptors and walked away with a win by a score of 113-104 in their last contest. Denver wrapped up the contest with a 50.0% FG percentage (49 of 98) and converted 12 out of their 33 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Nuggets made 3 of their 7 shots for a rate of 42.9%. In terms of rebounding, they earned a total of 46 with 15 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 29 dimes for the matchup while forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and having 9 steals. In relation to defense, Denver allowed the other team to shoot 47.8% from the floor on 43 out of 90 shooting. Toronto distributed 26 assists and had 3 steals for the contest. Additionally, Toronto totaled 41 boards (10 offensive, 31 defensive) and had 9 blocks. Toronto finished shooting 69.2% at the free throw line by converting 9 of their 13 shots. They knocked down 9 out of their 27 shots from distance. Concerning personal fouls, the Nuggets ended up finishing with 13 and the Raptors accounted for 12 personal fouls.

Nikola Jokic is someone who was a major factor for this game. Jokic walked away from this one shooting 56.5% from the field and distributed 6 assists. He was on the court for 38 mins played and grabbed 15 rebounds. He was able to score 31 points on 13 out of 23 shooting.

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Denver will enter this contest with a mark of 19-10 on the season. They currently have an average of 115.2 pts per game (14th in basketball) on 49.0% from the field. The Nuggets are shooting 37.3% on three-point attempts (340 of 911) and 72.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, Denver is snagging 44.7 boards per contest and has accumulated 859 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 1st in basketball in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 12.1 times per game and as a squad they commit 18.9 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Nuggets are forcing their opponents into 12.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.0 personal fouls. They are surrendering 35.7% on shots from distance and they rank 4th in the NBA in PPG from their opponents (110.3). The Nuggets defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.2% (1,174 of 2,540) and they relinquish 42.9 boards per game as a team. They currently rank 16th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 716 relinquished for the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Hornets took a defeat with a final score of 144-113 when they faced the Pacers. In relation to how they attacked the glass, Charlotte allowed Indiana to snag 38 overall (8 offensive). They went 46.2% from three-point range by going 18 out of 39 and finished the game at 28 of 30 at the free throw line (93.3%). The Hornets permitted the Pacers to make 49 out of their 80 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 61.3% for the matchup. When all was said and done, the Hornets went 45 for 95 from the floor which had them shooting 47.4%. When discussing shooting from distance, Charlotte knocked down 8 out of 31 attempts (25.8%). They were able to bury 15 of those for a rate of 78.9%. The Pacers earned 20 fouls in the game which took the Hornets to the free throw line for a total of 19 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while earning 6 steals in this matchup. The Hornets corralled 21 defensive boards and 16 offensive rebounds totaling 37 in this contest.

Terry Rozier ended up having an impact for the Hornets in the game. Rozier racked up 25 points in his 35 mins on the court and tallied 7 dimes for this game. He buried 10 out of 26 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 38.5%, and had 9 rebounds.

Charlotte has a win-loss record of 7-19 on the year. The Hornets are committing 20.0 fouls per contest and they go 79.8% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 24.9 times per game (26th in the NBA) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.9 times per game. Charlotte has accounted for 2,887 points so far this season (111.0 per contest) and they pull in 41.4 boards per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Hornets are shooting 47.0% from the floor, which is 20th in the NBA.

The Hornets on the defensive end are ranked 26th in the NBA in points given up per game with 121.6. They are forcing 13.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 49.7% from the field (27th in basketball). The Charlotte defense allows 38.7% on shots from behind the 3-point line (351 of 908) and their opponents are connecting on 80.0% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 27.7 dimes and 45.2 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 26th and 25th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Denver (-7)

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