The depleted Charlotte Hornets battled, but they couldn’t quite keep pace with the Denver Nuggets.

The Summary

The Hornets went toe to toe with the Nuggets from the outset. KJ Simpson brought a bunch of energy in his first start of the season and made some plays to help set the tone. Jamal Murray had one of those spells where he couldn’t miss, so he dropped a smooth 23-piece in the first quarter alone. A series of threes by Hornets rookies, including three from Liam McNeeley, helped the Hornets keep pace. The offenses cooled off in the second quarter but the teams continued to exchange baskets. The Hornets ended the half up by one after a pair of Brandon Miller free throws.

The Nuggets went on a run in the middle part of the third quarter as the Hornets suffered from a rash of turnovers and missed shots. Kon Knueppel tried to get going after a quiet first half but could not buy a bucket. The Hornets battled to hang around, but watched their halftime lead turn into a six point deficit heading into the fourth. That trend continued through the fourth quarter. It felt like the basketball being played between the teams was similar, but the Hornets simply couldn’t make quite as many shots. The game slowly slipped away and ended up a hard fought but somewhat comfortable win for the Nuggets.

The Good

Despite missing a number of key players, the Hornets held their own very well against a mostly full strength Nuggets team that is expecting to compete for a title this season. The Hornets were very engaged defensively and did a very good job taking away Nikola Jokic’s passing lanes when he was operating as the offensive hub. He still got his stats, but he had to earn them.

I really like how KJ Simpson plays basketball; I just wish his shots would go in more. He hit his shots in the first half and was very effective as a general pest. He does some TJ McConnell-like stuff on the glass and getting after loose balls and stuff. The offense just needs to become more consistently effective.

Liam McNeeley had his best game as a pro with four 3-pointers and 13 points. He was quick on the trigger with his open looks and all four of them went in about as purely as possible. He was the only guy that could put the ball in the basket from deep. But since he plays on the Hornets, the good had to come with some bad, and he had to leave with what looked like a bruised thigh after taking a knee. He should be good to go within a few days though.

It was his quietest game since his return, but I’m still super impressed with how Tidjane Salaün has looked. He scored just five points, but he only attempted three shots, and he tracked down six rebounds. His one assist came when he jumped to catch a kickout pass and, without coming down, caught it and swung it over to Brandon Miller, who hit a 3-pointer while being fouled. The Hornets played his minutes even in a game they lost by 11. This was coming into the game, but Tidjane has played enough minutes to qualify for having the best on/off differential in the NBA, according to Cleaning the Glass.

The Bad

The Hornets continue to get up-and-down performances from their veterans. Brandon Miller had a good day shooting from three, but he was just 1-of-9 from inside the arc and turned the ball over five times. Miles Bridges had a very good box score showing, but he was 0-of-6 from three and is now 1-of-20 from three in the month of December.

This was one of those games where the Hornets play with less creativity and aggressiveness than you’d like to see. There were a lot of three fired up without even a thought of a foray into the paint. Too many possessions featured a catch, hold, size up, isolation between passes on the perimeter. There are games where the Hornets are quick to make decisions on the catch and get the ball into the paint with regularity. This was not one of those nights. Missing LaMelo Ball definitely makes a difference here. While he can dwell on the ball, he’s far and away the best player on the team at getting defenses into scramble mode.

What’s Next

This Tuesday and Wednesday has the first round of the NBA Cup knockout stage. That means teams not in it, like the Hornets, will wait til at least Thursday to play their next game. For the Hornets, they’ll be back in action on Friday night at home against the Bulls.

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