NBA Power Rankings: Everything revolves around LeBron James

The Hornets weren’t able to hang with the Nuggets on Monday, running out of breath towards the end of the third quarter and letting the Nuggets go on an extended run that put the game out of reach. Dwight Howard started the game well against Nikola Jokic, and finished with 19 points, but their defense couldn’t stop the Nuggets when it mattered, and they let their opponent shoot 56 percent on the evening.

The Hornets look exhausted against the Raptors on Sunday, losing 123-103. Walker had 23 points and nine assists, but the team looks like they need a few days to rest and recover after a West Coast road trip. “Sometimes they say the schedule can catch up with you,” Steve Clifford said. “It’s not the whole reason we lost, but this last stretch has been a lot of traveling and you can see it.”