The only buzz in Ball Arena came from the Hornets. Denver’s four-game winning streak ended loudly in a 110-87 loss to Charlotte on Sunday night. “It’s a talented team. I thought they were more impressive defensively tonight than offensively,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “We just couldn’t find an advantage anywhere, couldn’t create anything.” Denver’s offense was anemic from the jump. The Nuggets followed up an 18-point first quarter with 16 points in the second quarter. At halftime, the Nuggets had just six assists and as many turnovers. The loudest ovation of the first half came when Nikola Jokic walked to the bench and dished out some fist bumps to fans early in the second quarter. By that point, Denver was already dealing with a double-digit deficit that got worse before it got better. The Hornets led by as many as 33, and Denver’s high-minutes players watched most of the second half from the bench. “It was just a rough one,” Jamal Murray said after leading the Nuggets with 16 points. “They have a solid squad. I don’t think their record really tells the whole tale of how good they are.” Charlotte Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner, left, struggles to control a rebound as Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Aaron Gordon missed the second half of the back-to-back after playing 32 minutes on Saturday, and DaRon Holmes II started in his place. Denver’s struggles rebounding without Nikola Jokic, Jonas Valanciunas and Gordon continued Sunday. Charlotte grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and wound up taking 10 more shots than the Nuggets. “They were just getting more opportunities to try again. The more opportunities you have, obviously, the tougher it’s going to be,” Murray said. “We never really gave ourselves a chance to get back in it.” Both teams played Saturday night. The Nuggets used a comeback to beat the Wizards, while Charlotte lost to the Warriors in San Francisco. “No excuses here,” Adelman said. “But I did see it tonight, there was a lack of … can we just get ourselves going? Guys were trying in the timeouts. I didn’t think it was for a lack of trying or attitude. It just was an NBA night.” Julian Strawther (15), Jalen Pickett (12) and Peyton Watson (11) also scored in double figures for the Nuggets. Strawther scored 14 of his points in the fourth quarter and went 5 for 7 from the field and 2 for 3 from 3-point range in his highest-scoring game of the season. “I thought he finally got to his game, if that makes sense. He got into the paint. He looked more comfortable shooting the floater, which we all know he’s so good at,” Adelman said. “He’s had a hard time with it lately. I think a lot of it is rhythm, playing minutes some nights, not playing the next night.” Brandon Miller led the Hornets with 23 points, while five teammates also scored in double figures. There’s sure to be more buzz in the building when LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Lakers come to town on Tuesday. “It’s flushed. There’s not much we can do about it. It just felt like we were undersized, undermanned the whole game. We felt it today,” Murray said. “Take the rest and refocus for a really good LA team.” HORNETS 110, NUGGETS 87 What happened: Charlotte led by 15 after the first quarter and owned a 60-34 lead at halftime. Denver’s reserves handled most of the second half, as the Nuggets dropped to 29-14. What went right: Julian Strawther’s driving layup in the final three minutes made sure the Nuggets wouldn’t own the lowest-scoring game in the NBA this season. What went wrong: Denver went 2 for 16 from 3-point range in the first half, while Charlotte went 8 for 20. Hornets wing Brandon Miller went 4 for 6 in the first half. Highlight of the night: Hunter Tyson scrapped for a loose ball and threw a behind-the-back bounce pass to DaRon Holmes II for a 3-pointer late in the third quarter. Up next: The Nuggets host the Lakers on Tuesday. ...read more read less