Kevin Durant was the headliner, but the Rockets’ win over Denver was built on something broader than one big night from a star.
Houston ended its two-game skid with a 110-100 victory over the Nuggets on Monday night at Toyota Center, surviving 38 points from Jamal Murray and a monster all-around line from Nikola Jokic. The Rockets kept everyone else in check, holding the rest of Denver’s roster under 10 points, and got a balanced scoring effort of their own with five players finishing in double figures. Houston also moved the ball well, piling up 29 assists on 41 made baskets, and its bench outscored Denver’s 33-22.
Durant finished with 23 points in 36 minutes, but his impact stretched well beyond the scoring column. He opened the game aggressively, scoring 11 in the first quarter as Houston jumped to a 32-24 lead. Even though he went just 1-of-8 the rest of the way, he still made all 10 of his free throws and added 12 rebounds and eight assists, both season highs.
“I don't want to be a liability out there,” Durant said. “Just try to provide as much as I can for the team.
My presence can do so much on the offensive end, but also can affect the game on the other side as well. Helping my team rebound, especially when we go small like that, it's been key for us to grab rebounds.”
The Rockets also found a workable answer to their frontcourt shortage. With Steven Adams, Clint Capela and Oscar Tshiebwe out, Houston had to shrink its lineup whenever Alperen Sengun went to the bench.
That setup didn’t just survive against Jokic - it thrived. In a game decided by 10, the Rockets were plus-13 in 13 minutes with Sengun off the floor and Jabari Smith Jr. at center.
That small-ball look helped Houston steady itself after Denver made a run in the third quarter. The Nuggets ripped off a 20-6 stretch in the first seven minutes after halftime to tie the game, forcing a Rockets timeout. Houston answered by staying small for the rest of the period and finishing it on a 17-8 burst, with Jokic on the floor for all of it.
“Love the way we responded,” Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said. “We became the aggressor.
It's obviously night and day when we play like that. You can see the turnovers we create, the physicality there on our end, it turns defense to offense, and really flipped (the game) at that point.”
Sengun was central to the finish. He put together a strong fourth quarter with nine points, three rebounds and five assists in 11 minutes, and he ended the night with 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
The Nuggets’ biggest edge came when Jokic was on the floor, but Houston still won the crucial minutes when he sat. Denver had entered the night having been outscored by just 2.9 points per 100 possessions in Jokic’s bench minutes through its first eight games. The Rockets flipped that script.
Houston led by eight after the first quarter even with Jokic playing all 12 minutes. When he sat for the first 5 1/2 minutes of the second quarter, the Rockets stretched the margin by 10 more points.
Jokic then played the rest of the half, the entire third quarter and the first two minutes of the fourth before briefly leaving again. Denver outscored Houston by 12 during that long stretch, but the Rockets still won the three minutes Jokic sat by three points, and that was enough to keep control of the game.
In Other News...
Nuggets Suddenly Face A Major Availability Problem In Houston
The Nuggets trip from Mexico City has already turned into more than a routine travel day, and now the team is carrying a crowded injury report into Houston. Denver has listed Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, Christian Braun and DeMar DeRozan as questionable for the upcoming game, leaving plenty of uncertainty around how much of the rotation will actually be available.
Jokic is dealing with an elbow injury, which adds another layer to a situation already complicated by the plane delays after the Mexico City game. Denver is expected to update his status and the rest of the injury report before tipoff, but for now the Nuggets are left waiting to see whether a difficult trip becomes a bigger problem on the court. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Already Have A Few Early Winners And One Clear Concern
Eight games into the season, the Nuggets already have a few early answers as they sit at 5-3. Nikola Jokic has been productive overall, even if his three-point touch has not quite followed the rest of his game, and the supporting cast has started to sort itself out in useful ways. Christian Braun, Marvin Bagley III and Jamal Murray have each given Denver something to build on, while rookie Trevon Brazile has flashed enough to suggest there may be more to his role than just filling minutes.
The one concern is harder to ignore because it involves a player who is still trying to find his footing in a different role. DeMar DeRozan has not looked fully comfortable coming off the bench, and for a team trying to establish rhythm early, that adjustment matters. The Nuggets have enough positive signs to feel encouraged, but how quickly that situation settles in could shape whether this start feels like a solid foundation or just a decent opening stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Alpha Diallo Is Already Facing A Tough Nuggets Rotation Reality
Alpha Diallo arrived in Denver with a reputation built on defense, and for a while it looked like that skill set could carve out a real lane in the Nuggets rotation. He flashed enough in the preseason and early in the season to suggest he could be more than just a camp body, but the early returns have also made clear how narrow his path is if the offense does not come along.
David Adelman has leaned toward rookie Bryce Hopkins in the recent stretch, and that choice has pushed Diallo further toward a specialists role than a two-way one. With minutes already hard to come by, the Nuggets are now weighing whether Diallo can stay on the floor long enough to matter, or whether his value will remain tied almost entirely to what he does on defense. [Read more 🡒]