The best point guard in the East. As he goes, so go the Hornets.

Legends, Both.

Keepin' the seat warm for Barton, who seems to be in a best case time-frame in terms of returning from an injury that required surgery. He should be back in the lineup by around December 15th.

For context with regard to the statistical aspects of this piece, please open this link: TPM™

A brief statement with regard to this piece on whole:

As a means to avoid repeating myself I will include this descriptive diatribe in all TPM posts going forward.

Sure I like statistics; ever since I was a child collecting sports cards and later a pre-teen who ran pre-internet fantasy sports leagues on ink/paper/spreadsheet for the four major US pro-leagues, I've been fascinated by box-score stats but I'm by no means an expert.

I created TPM (which has been around longer than RPM incidentally and unlike them, I fully disclose my non-proprietary system and I contextualize the action rather than being a boring, mysterious, predictive metric) because it does add immediate and accessible context to what we see and what the numbers indicate, which I like.

While the data is meticulously tracked and demonstrably sound, I'm a creative type, not an engineer. Algorithm is the bane of my existence in fact. I'd far rather approach life with the intrigue of expected surprise than attempt to get to the bottom of why things are the way they are. There are many engineers in my family so I totally understand that joy can be derived from finding solutions to problems, I just can't relate. It's not fun for me. THIS is for the most part, not fun for me.

Now I'm a 41 year old man who was born the year after the team I love joined the NBA. I happen to have a lifetime of experience with this sport in several different capacities, including playing (highly underrated within the writing community) so I understand basketball theory in a way most (by no means all) pundits do not.

I was in this case interested in a data-driven approach, which if I'm honest has sapped nearly all fun out of taking in games for me. I get very few days/nights off during the season. One piece requires several hours of research and data entry and all tracking/analysis is done in real time and published mere moments after each game's completion, 82 times (more this season) per year.

As such, the analysis portion is about 90% (I've run the numbers) creative writing with sarcasm generally indicated through italics, non-sequitur humor and hyperbole, in an attempt to steal back some of the joy this endeavor has snatched away.

Hopefully there is a little something here for everyone but if you came just for data or are averse to colorful language, this is not the place for you. I have no way of knowing how many people even read this so I'll not be affected even remotely if you choose not to indulge. For those of you who do, I greatly thank you for the support.

Nuggets vs Charlotte: Can Denver strike gold in a city that's been a veritable Hornet's nest traditionally?

When last these two teams squared off in game 54 of last season, the Nuggets (lap) enjoyed double figure TPM contributions from five players led by Gary Harris: +29 . Only Wilson Chandler: -1 was in the red for that encounter, as the Nuggets won in convincing fashion in the Mile High City, 121-104.

These teams are dead even at 28 wins a piece in their 56 previous encounters with the home team winning nearly every time, in a way far more adherent than is the case for most teams. The last time Denver Played in Charlotte they of course lost 110 - 93. Charlotte has won three of their last four encounters overall and seven of the last 10.

As for this game, Denver is favored to win on the road 42.5% 57.5% According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index. The Hornets are on a season long three game losing streak, their best player has been struggling of late and Batum seems to be on the down-slope of his career 9if my fantasy team is any indication) though he is fresh off his best performance of the season and ALWAYS seems to kill the Nuggets. Charlotte currently owns an 11-13 record which is impossibly good for 2nd in Southeast Division and an 8th seed in the Leastern conference overall but for some reason, the Nuggets just don't seem to play well against this squad.

Prediction: Denver (lap) 105 - Charlotte 109. The Hornets earn their first victory over a Western Conference opponent this season.

Go Nuggets!

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If you are viewing the pre-game version of the TPM piece; and you enjoy Gonzo-basketball reporting, I invite you to please join me after the game where the same link will lead you to the post game version. In it, all of the disjointed/unsightly blanks below will be filled, complete with data/analysis and more snark than "Snarknado VI: Snakenado", which I'm told is about a pessimistic, albino, black mamba who emerges from micro-bursts to torment the people of Los Angeles with shady tweets.

There be monsters; shameless, personal plug alert! (by permission of Denver Stiffs): If you are in the market for clothing, featuring the four major Denver sports franchises as well s CU, please open this link in a new tab to see if there is anything you are interested in. You don't have to order from the link of course if you are in the Denver Metro area, as I'm more than happy to meet up with you (please refrain from bringing rotten tomatoes), drastically lowering the cost, as Poshmark takes a healthy cut as well as shipping & handling. Thanks in advance!

Unique, hard to find, one of a kind and custom gear of your favorite team

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And now what none of you come here for; how about some basketball nerdery?!?!

(After these messages... Er Nicknames)

Charlotte Hornets Roster

Denver Nuggets Roster

Update: MPJ and I.T. are sleeping on Ice, awaiting intel as to when their services will be required. Rookie Jared Vanderbilt will have to wait to make his rookie debut until long after R.O.Y. candidate Thomas Welsh, as he recovers from an actual injury. Harris is out indefinitely with numerous ailments of lower extremities. Millsap is expected to play through knee soreness after banging kneecaps with PG13. Murray is "banged up". Finally, Barton had successful surgery on his abductor and hip. He will be evaluated for return in mid-December. As for CHA, only Williams is listed on the injury report with a shoulder injury.

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Data:

TPM™ Game 25 CHA

Jamal Murray: +17

Isaiah Thomas: N/A

Monte Morris: +2

Brandon Goodwin: N/A

Gary Harris: Injured

Malik Beasley: +15

Torrey Craig: -8

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: N/A

Will Barton: Injured

Juancho Hernangomez: +5

Michael Porter Jr.: Injured

Jared Vanderbilt: Injured

Paul Millsap: +14

Trey Lyles: -8

Tyler Lydon: N/A

Nikola Jokic: +20

Mason Plumlee: +2

Thomas Welsh: G-League gettin' all the TPM!!!

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Total TPM™

Jamal Murray: 25 games +416

Isaiah Thomas: 0 games +0

Monte Morris: 25 games +293

Brandon Goodwin: 0 Games +0

Gary Harris: 21 games +315

Malik Beasley: 25 games +118

Torrey Craig: 20 games -10

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: 6 games +5

Will Barton: 2 games +33

Juancho Hernangomez: 24 games +60

Michael Porter Jr.: 0 games +0

Jared Vanderbilt: 0 games +0

Paul Millsap: 25 games +238

Trey Lyles: 25 games +161

Tyler Lydon: +7 games +9

Nikola Jokic: 25 games +492

Mason Plumlee: 25 games +170

Thomas Welsh: 4 games+2

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Avg. TPM™ Per Game

Jamal Murray: +16.64

Isaiah Thomas: N/A

Monte Morris: +11.72

Brandon Goodwin: +0.00

Gary Harris: +15.00

Malik Beasley: +4.72

Torrey Craig: -0.51

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: +0.83

Will Barton: +16.50

Juancho Hernangomez: +2.50

Michael Porter Jr.: N/A

Jared Vanderbilt: N/A

Paul Millsap: +9.52

Trey Lyles: 6.44

Tyler Lydon: +1.29

Nikola Jokic: +19.68

Mason Plumlee: +6.80

Thomas Welsh: +0.50

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TPM™ Per-Minute Splits Through Game 23/21:

*Credit DomP on the Spreadsheet. It's as if my (nerdy) baby (TPM™) learned to speak

Analysis:

Qtr1- The Nuggets trot out their 4th iteration of the injury-replacement starting five, consisting of Murray, Craig, Juancho, Millsap & Jokic. The Hornets counter with Walker, Lamb, Batum, MKG (Wait, didn't Eminem kill him already?) & Zeller. For the first time this season I'm in favor of starting Craig because of the threat presented by Kemba and Torrey is the best on-ball defender amongst Denver's guards but also because this is his first game in his home state as a pro. Williams makes a surprise start returning from injury so it'll be the walking wounded vs the entirely healthy. Not gonna adjust the starting lineups cause that's a solid Eminem line/callback. Batum appears to have gotten an early start to his Rochambeau ways as he pops Murray, who is wincing in pain. I really like having Juancho in the starting unit and it'll be interesting to see what happens when Barton returns. Charlotte is getting a steady diet of 'Sap in the post and they have absolutely no one who can match up with him. Jokic is doing an excellent job defensively in space, in the P&R. The Hornets are starting to connect while Denver has gone cold and it's a six point lead for Charlotte at the time of the inaugural intermission at 5:08.

Jokic has been hit in the face for about the third time in the game. Morris is first off the pine for Murray who has been off ever since the Rochambeauery. Monte has a turnover for the third straight game. Two in a row was his previous high in the last one. The Nuggets are in the bonus at 3:40, trailing by just two. Juancho is engaged and visibly confident tonight despite not getting many shots. Something that never happens for but always to the Nuggets just occurred: 'Sap missed a shot and the ref waited to see that it veered wide before blowing the whistle. A guy could get used to this! Millsap is first to reach double figures with 2:17 remaining in a tie game. Plumlee and Beasley check in at this time. Craig earns his second foul and he's replaced by Lyles. Murray is thankfully back in so it doesn't appear that he was badly injured. The energetic bench unit for the Nuggets is outperforming Kemba/Williams and the bench for Charlotte. Denver is paced in TPM by Millsap +15 as they lead 25-24 after one.

Qtr2- Lyles is really struggling on both ends for the Nuggets tonight, and really all season unfortunately. The bench play has seesawed in favor of the Hornets who suddenly lead by 10. Monk is catching fire and the lead is ten at 7:55. Denver cuts it to five on a Beasley three at 7:10. The Nuggets can't afford to play even or in the red vs this Hornets group while Kemba sits and expect to buzz off with a win. The spectrum center? Really? Philly would like a word. Corporate tripe at it's finest. Get Lyles out of there. Give Lydon some burn. Craig checks in and quickly nabs his third foul and is forced to sit once again. The lead is nine for the Hornets at 4:50. There are a lot of phantom calls going on in the second period.

Jokic/Murray are both in the red in terms of TPM and Charlotte leads by 14 at 4:01. Denver has to get something going immediately or they are going to dig a hole too deep to extricate themselves, pick-axe or no. 'Sap earns his third foul and the Nuggets are in deep, deep trouble at 3:04, down 16. The Roman Column front-court is in tact. Denver can't buy a call from the officials which is generally the case when the momentum favors the opponent. Plumlee and Murray both need to be removed to avoid picking up their third fouls with under a minute to play but Malone rarely does this. Malik Beasley makes two Nuggets in double figures. Denver is paced in TPM by Beasley +10 & Millsap +12 as they trail 64-53 at the half but frankly it doesn't even feel that close.

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Qtr3- The Blue Arrow hits a free throw, therefor he's now hot. The Nuggets score the first four points of the third and they cut it to seven at 10:45. The (insert corporate sponsor) arena is extremely quiet tonight. Jokic is shooting with the sole purpose of drawing fouls which I loathe right along with you, my 2-5 readers. Juancho makes three in double figures; I'm so happy! Craig gets his fourth foul and evidently he's not interested in participating tonight, Malone leaves him in as punishment. Batum also earns his fourth and he exits at 8:56 with a ten point lead. Denver is just 5-20 from distance tonight. Charlotte will let teams back in so the Nuggets must throttle up. "Tinkers to Evers To Chance" sayeth Marlowe and Denver cuts it to six with 6:56 to play in the third. For the first time in the game Jokic/Murray are both out of the red. To their credit there appears to be no aparent panic in the Nuggets.

Denver is in the bonus at 6:31, trailing by just four. Millsap earns his fourth foul at 6:22 and he's replaced by Lyles. Charlotte has utilized an incredible 11 players in this one. The Nuggets trim it to three on a bank shot by Big Honey. Millsap appears to have injured his right foot (big toe area) during the fall in which he earned his fourth foul. No beuno. The Joker makes four in double figures for the good guys. Juancho cuts it to one, the closest they've been since "Indy was a pup" - Marlowe. Juancho has three straight blocks vs TP drives and I'm so happy. Only two of which were credited however. Charlotte is in the penalty with 1:23 remaining and a five point lead. Monk is once again outclassing the Nuggets bench and he increases the lead to eight on a three point play. Denver is paced in TPM by Millsap/Jokic +14 & Beasley +15 as they trail 79-87 after three.

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Qtr4- The Nuggets have their work cut out for them on road-weary legs tonight. Lyles is suddenly participating with an excellent outlet pass and a tremendous blocked shot that almost causes Hastings to say "shit." The lead is five at 9:35. Murray makes five in double figures as Monte is popped in the face by Lyles and he's down, writhing in pain. The Nuggets fail to recognize this and utilize a timeout until going 4-5 for nearly the entire shot clock. Poor court awareness by this young Denver squad. Juancho has an impressive 15-10 2D. The sparse crowd is getting into the action a bit as the Hornets extend the lead to ten with 7:40 remaining. There is zero flow to the offense with Jokic on the sideline tonight. Malone seems to recognize this as Nikola returns at 7:20. The officials have been horrendous from the beginning of the second period on, to the benefit of neither squad. Both teams are repeatedly missing any and every shot from all over in the fourth. As feared, 'Sap is out for the remainder with his foot injury. Denver is 6-26 from beyond the arc and they trail by 13 at 5:54. It's looking grim for the Nuggets at the moment. How about a rare game in which Jokic takes the team on his back and wills them to victory? Anything short of that will result in an L this evening, sans-doubt. I'm deleting the victory gif below for good luck right now! We must all do our part after-all.

Craig earns his 5th foul and I honestly have no unearthly idea why he's even out there still. Charlotte is in the penalty at 4:52 with a 12 point lead. Murray and Jokic cut it to eight on consecutive buckets with 3:40 to play. Craig mercifully fouls out at 3:25. Thankfully, Morris is able to return from injury at this time, trailing by 10. Somewhere along the line Plumlee and Zeller each picked up their fifth fouls. It just occurred to me that I have to work tomorrow afternoon and the Nuggets again play in the evening so it's midnight oil for me tonight if I care to release a pre-game piece. The lead is nine at 2:53 The lead is now six with 1:20 remaining following a three by Malik, one of few bright spots offensively. Make it three on a Murray-Morris three! This would honestly be the most impressive victory of the season all things considered, if they somehow can manage the impossible. Denver has all momentum and a 10-2 run. TP with a dagger J extends the lead to five with under a minute to go. Two attempts by Denver are near misses before finally having a Juancho shot rejected and that may be all she wrote. Beasley fouls TP sending him to the line where he ices it with 1-2. The rest as they say is history. Morris makes seven in double figures. Jokic earns his 2D late, with a line of 16-11-6. Denver is paced in TPM by Millsap +14, Beasley +16, Murray +17, & Jokic +20 as they get a no-shame defeat in North Carolina, 113-107.

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Final Thoughts: I was dead-wrong in my caption for the Kemba Walker picture on top of this piece, at least on this seasonably cold evening. Denver is simply out of healthy bodies. The Nuggets were impressive in defeat tonight. There is zero quit in this team. How valuable would have Isaiah Thomas been late in this game? Losing Millsap was obviously enormous in this one given that Charlotte had no one to defend him and Denver struggled to get easy looks after he went out. We just need to hope that his injury isn't serious or Denver will be missing three starters and seven rotational players. How are they even doing this? Can Welsh make it in time for tomorrow night's game?

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We Suck Again!

Denver Nuggets Nuggets vs Hornets coverage At The Hive