Nuggets 82 - 110 Hornets
Final
  for this game

Hornets beat Nuggets for 3rd straight win sans Stephenson

Dec 23, 2014 - 4:26 AM Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Al Jefferson scored 22 points for the Charlotte Hornets on their way to a 110-82 win over the Denver Nuggets.

The Hornets never trailed in their third straight win.

Jefferson was joined by four other Hornets in double figures, including Kemba Walker with 18 and nine assists. P.J. Hairston added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Charlotte's Lance Stephenson missed his third game with a pelvic sprain.

Ty Lawson paced Denver with 18 points and made both of its 3-pointers. The Nuggets shot just 2-of-18 from long distance as they had their two-game winning streak snapped.

Alonzo Gee chipped in 15 points for Denver.

Walker hit a 3-pointer on Charlotte's opening possession, and it did not take long for the Hornets to open up a sizable lead.

"It started with the first play of the game," said Nuggets coach Brian Shaw. "We get a stop, they get an offensive rebound, they kick it out, and they get a 3. It just kept going from there."

Charlotte led 28-18 after one period thanks to five points by Gary Neal near the end quarter. The Hornets' lead remained in double digits the remaining 36 minutes.

The Nuggets shot 42.1 percent from the floor in the first quarter, but they would be under 40.0 percent in each of the last three. They scored the final five points of the half to cut their deficit to 58-40 at the break.

"It started on the defensive end," said Jefferson. "That's a great offensive rebounding team, and I thought we controlled the boards."

Charlotte shot over 50.0 percent in all quarters except the third.

The closest the Nuggets got in the third quarter was 16 points with seven minutes remaining. Over the course of the rest of the frame, they made just two baskets as the Hornets closed the period on a 17-6 run to hold an 84-57 lead after three.

Charlotte's lead ballooned to as many as 30 points in the fourth.

Game Notes

Hairston's 10 rebounds were a career high, and this was his first career double-double ... The Hornets have won three straight in the series ... Denver was without Danilo Gallinari for the first game since he tore his right meniscus ... The season series between these teams concludes on Jan. 31 at Denver.






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