When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Spotlight on Cody Zeller:
Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum and Al Jefferson draw all of the major headlines, and with good reason, but Zeller has quietly been solid this season. The third-year center from Indiana University is producing career highs in points (9.0 average), rebounds (6.2) and field-goal percentage (.513). The 7-foot, 240-pound Zeller has four double-doubles this season and is averaging 9.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in his last two games.
Nuggets:
They are trying to snap a three-game losing streak, all coming on this five-game trip. That’s after winning four straight, all at home, and five of six overall. … It doesn’t get easier at Charlotte, which owns a 16-9 record against the Nuggets at home and has won the teams’ last two meetings at Time Warner Cable Arena. … The Nuggets may have to play without Kenneth Faried, who missed their last game, in Atlanta on Thursday, because of a sore back. Faried is listed as questionable for Saturday, but the Nuggets will not press him back into service unless he is completely ready. Everyone else is expected to be available to play against the Hornets.
Hornets:
They have had a bounce-back season, and with just a few weeks left in the regular season are very much in the mix to finish as high as third in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Going into Friday, the Hornets were only a half game behind the Hawks for the third playoff slot in the East and were tied with the Cel- tics and the Heat in the standings. So this is a must-win game for Charlotte, which needs to collect all the victories it can to keep pace.
