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Game Preview: Nuggets Take Winning Streak to Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Denver Nuggets will make their only trip of the season to Charlotte, North Carolina tonight for a matchup with Kemba Walker and the Hornets. The Nuggets are in the midst of a five-game road trip, having won the first three as part of a seven-game winning streak, the longest streak for the team since 2013-14.

The Nuggets are coming off an overtime win in Orlando on Wednesday, defeating the Magic 124-118 behind 31 points from Jamal Murray and 13 assists from Nikola Jokić. The Nuggets are 17-7 and sitting in first place in the Western Conference.

The Hornets are 11-13 on the season, losing their last game in Minnesota against the Timberwolves 121-104. Charlotte has lost their last three games.

Here is what to watch for in tonight’s game:

Containing Kemba Walker: The Charlotte point guard is one of the top 10 scorers in the league, averaging 26 points per game on 44% shooting. Walker has had games of 60, 43 and 41 points this season but is averaging just 17.8 points on 36% from the field and 17% from three over his last five games. Walker also leads the Hornets in assists, averaging 6.1 per game this season.

Three-point defense: The Nuggets gave up 20 threes in Orlando on Wednesday, allowing the Magic to shoot 40.8% from deep in the game. Despite Wednesday’s performance, the Nuggets are still second in the league in opponent three-point percentage at 31.6% and are only giving up an average of 10.2 made threes per game. The Hornets are sixth in the league in made threes per game, knocking down 12 per game.

Continuing road success: The Nuggets are now 8-4 on the road in 2018-19. Denver was just 15-26 on the road in 2017-18 and didn’t record their eighth road win until February 10th. The Nuggets have the second most road wins in the NBA in this early portion of the season.

Tonight’s game will tipoff at 5 p.m. MT and will air on Altitude TV and the AltitudeNOW app. Fans can listen on Altitude Radio, 92.5 FM.