Nuggets at Hornets
The Denver Nuggets played their way out of the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference with four losses in the last six games but still have time to make up ground on the Portland Trail Blazers. The Charlotte Hornets, who host the Nuggets on Friday, are running much shorter on time in the East.
The most crushing of the recent losses for the Nuggets came on Tuesday, when they dropped a 122-113 decision at Portland that pushed them behind the Trail Blazers in the race for the No. 8 spot while also giving away the head-to-head tiebreaker. "We’ve got to make decisions about who we're going to be," guard Will Barton told the Denver Post after the loss. "That’s everybody, from top to bottom. Everybody, the Denver Nuggets. We've got to choose who we want to be." The Hornets pulled off a stunning in-game turnaround on Wednesday to stay on the fringes of the race in the East, scoring 44 fourth-quarter points at Toronto after managing 16 in the third and pulling out a 110-106 win. The victory moved Charlotte three games behind the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers - who are tied for the final two playoff spots - with seven left to play.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Altitude 2 (Denver), FSN Southeast (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (35-39): Barton continued to be honest in his assessment of Denver's performance on Tuesday and is looking for a better effort from the whole team. "It’s what we've been all year: inconsistent," Barton told the Denver Post. "Good in moments. (Portland) wanted it more, point blank. From top to bottom, they wanted it more. Everything - the coaches, the players - they just wanted it more." Tuesday marked the start of a five-game trip for the Nuggets, who then play two at home before closing the regular season with a back-to-back at Dallas and Oklahoma City.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (34-41): Charlotte got red-hot from 3-point range during its blistering fourth quarter at Toronto, knocking down 8-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc as guards Kemba Walker and Marco Belinelli led the way. "Coach (Pat) Riley always said 'most nights, it’s a make-or-miss league,'" Hornets coach Steve Clifford told reporters. "We made eight 3s in the fourth, got a couple stops when we needed it. At the end of the day, we got some open 3s and knocked them in." The Hornets will need plenty more shots to fall through with a closing schedule that features seven opponents all fighting for postseason spots or position.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hornets PF Marvin Williams is 9-of-15 from 3-point range over the last three games.
2. Nuggets SF Danilo Gallinari is 7-of-33 from the floor in three games since returning from a knee injury.
3. Charlotte earned a 112-102 win at Denver on March 4 behind 27 points from Walker and a 16-of-27 effort from 3-point range.