Charlotte Hornets vs Denver Nuggets Prediction, 2/20/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Charlotte Hornets vs Denver Nuggets

Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025

Location: Ball Arena in Denver, CO

TV: Altitude

The Charlotte Hornets (13-38) are hitting the road to Ball Arena on Thursday where they will meet the Denver Nuggets (35-19).

The Hornets stepped onto the hardwood against the Nets and ended up losing by a score of 97-89 in their last game. Charlotte ended the game with a 41.0% FG percentage (32 of 78) and made 6 of their 31 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Hornets converted 19 of their 28 attempts for a rate of 67.9%. In regard to pulling down rebounds, they earned 40 with 11 of them being offensive. They also recorded 18 assists for this game while forcing 17 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In relation to defending, Charlotte let their opponent shoot 39.8% from the floor on 37 out of 93 shooting. Brooklyn earned 24 dimes and had 10 steals for the game. Moreover, Brooklyn collected 47 rebounds (19 offensive, 28 defensive) and had 7 blocked shots. Brooklyn walked away from this one shooting 92.9% when shooting free throws by burying 13 of 14 attempts. They made 10 of 42 tries from three-point range. When discussing fouls, the Hornets ended up finishing with 10 while the Nets accumulated 24 fouls.

Moussa Diabate is one player who was a factor in the game. Diabate ended up shooting 81.8% from the field but wasn't able to get an assist. He played 27 minutes and also totaled 10 boards. He totaled 21 points on 9 of 11 shooting.

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Charlotte steps onto the court with a record of 13-38 this season. They have an average of 106.6 pts per game (28th in the league) on 43.0% from the field. The Hornets are shooting 34.5% on three-point attempts (698 of 2,022) and 77.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, Charlotte is pulling in 45.7 rebounds per game and has tallied 1,221 dimes so far this year, which ranks 28th in the NBA in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 15.3 times per contest and as a team are committing 19.5 fouls per game.

On defense, the Hornets are forcing their opponents into 14.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.0 personal fouls. They are giving up 34.1% on shots from distance and they are 12th in the league in opponents points per game (112.0). The Hornets defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 46.5% (2,076 of 4,466) and they relinquish 44.2 boards per contest as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 7th in the league in allowing assists to their opponents with 1,344 relinquished for the season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Nuggets took home the win by a final score of 146-117 when they played the Trail Blazers. When discussing rebounds, Denver allowed Portland to collect 33 overall (10 on the offensive side). They finished 40.5% from distance by hitting 15 of 37 and walked away from this one shooting 22 of 26 at the free throw line (84.6%). The Nuggets permitted the Trail Blazers to convert 40 of 88 attempts from the floor which had them at 45.5% in this game. When all was said and done, the Nuggets went 60 out of 91 from the floor which had them shooting 65.9%. In regard to shots from 3-point land, Denver converted 8 out of their 25 attempts (32.0%). They were able to knock down 18 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 90.0%. The Trail Blazers committed 20 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Nuggets to the charity stripe for a total of 20 tries. They gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while getting 12 steals in this contest. The Nuggets were able to corral 32 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards for a total of 38 in this matchup.

Nikola Jokic was important for the Nuggets in this matchup. Jokic earned 40 points in his 31 minutes on the hardwood and earned 8 assists in this contest. He knocked down 15 out of 22 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 68.2%, and had 7 rebounds.

Denver has a mark of 35-19 this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Nuggets are shooting 50.9% from the field, which ranks 1st in the league. Denver has tallied 6,552 points on the season (121.3 per contest) and they grab 45.7 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 31.4 times per contest (1st in the NBA) and they are turning it over 14.1 times per game. The Nuggets are committing 17.5 fouls per game and they go 77.7% from the free throw line.

The Nuggets defensively are ranked 25th in the NBA in points given up per game with 115.8. They are forcing 13.4 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.2% from the field (12th in the NBA). The Denver defense gives up 35.9% on 3-point attempts (749 of 2,084) and their opposition makes 77.9% of their foul shots. They allow 29.4 assists and 42.2 boards on a nightly basis, which is 30th and 3rd in basketball.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Denver

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