Michael Porter Jr. had 19 points, Mason Plumlee scored 15, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Charlotte Hornets 100-86 on Wednesday night.

Jerami Grant scored 14, Will Barton had 13 and Nikola Jokic and PJ Dozier produced 12 each for the Nuggets. Denver played the second half without guard Jamal Murray, who sustained a left ankle injury late in the second quarter and did not return.

Terry Rozier scored a game-high 20 points and handed out nine assists for Charlotte. Devonte' Graham, P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges had 14 points each, and Cody Zeller finished with 11.

The Hornets led early, but Denver rallied to go ahead by three after the first quarter. The advantage was four after a dunk by Zeller midway through the second quarter before the Nuggets started to get some separation.

Murray scored on a layup, Barton hit a 3-pointer, Jokic made a short jumper and Torrey Craig also scored in a 9-0 run to put Denver ahead 52-39.

Rozier then hit a shot from the corner with 1:38 left, and Murray went down holding his left ankle after landing on Rozier's foot. Murray lay on the court before being helped to the locker room. X-rays were negative for any break or fracture.

Barton score the last five points of the second quarter to give the Nuggets a 57-42 lead at halftime.

Charlotte scored the first basket of the third quarter on a trey by Washington, but the Nuggets answered with a 7-0 run to go up by 19. After another 3-pointer by Rozier, Denver scored the next four to make it 68-48, its biggest lead of the game to that point.

The Hornets started to chip away to get back into it late in the third. Six straight points got them within 14, and a 15-4 run, capped by Graham's 3-pointer, made it 74-69.

Dozier hit a layup and a 3-pointer to get the lead to double digits as part of a 19-3 run that gave Denver a 93-72 lead with 5:30 left in the game, and the Nuggets closed it out from there.

--Field Level Media