Rockets 124 - 143 Nuggets summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA

The Rockets did cut the lead to within 10 again in the fourth quarter, but Murray, Jokic, Porter and Christian Braun were too much for this young and improving team. The Nuggets improve their undefeated home win streak to start the season while the Rockets will have to wait to snap their seven game road losing streak. 

We are used to seeing Jokic post 30 point triple doubles, but Nuggets fans will be more excited with the 30 point performance on 11/17 from the field and 7/12 from DT. 

Jokic had yet another triple double, his fifth of the season while posting 32 points on 12/19 shooting. It was his third straight 30+ point game against the Rockets and he is averaging 28.8, 13.4 and 8.9 assists. 

No one will be more happy to have Jamal Murray back than Nikola Jokic. Not only does he know exactly how to get the big man the ball, but he takes some of the burden of running the offense when the starting PG is out. 

Murray ended the night with 16, 6 and 6 in his first action in almost a month. 

Jokic almost had a triple double at halftime, with 19, 7 rebounds and 12 assists many of those assists went to Michael Porter Jr. who had 23 in the first half. The lead stretched to 19 in the first quarter, but the Rockets 2nd team cut the lead to 9 in the second quarter. 

Nikola Jokic missed the Nuggets previous game against the Clippers with a minor back injury, but came back in full force against the Rockets. He had only his second dunk of the season with this dash to the rack and finish over Sengun. 

The role players have had to step up for the Nuggets in Murray's absence. Jamal came back on Wednesday, but it was Michael Porter Jr. who stole the show. He started hot and stayed hot, hitting four first quarter threes as the Nuggets hit 7/10 from downtown in the opening 12 minutes. 

Jamal Murray made his long awaited return after an 11 game absence in which the Nuggets went 6-5. He injured his ankle in the first three minutes of the game, but came back and looked like he was unaffected by his hamstring or the twisted ankle. 

THAT'S IT FROM BALL ARENA!!!

The Nuggets post 134 points and stay undefeated at home as they sink the Rockets for the first time in three tries. 

Whitmore to the line and he hits one of two FTs. 

Key to the line after the foul on Williams and he hits one of two FTs. 

Whitmore on the step back three and he's making the most of his late minutes. 

Landale on the slam after Williams found him. 

Whitmore goes coast to coast and finishes with a flush. 

Landale to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Key. 

Dump off from Key to Nnaji and he gets the baseline lay to roll in. 

Williams gets into the paint and gets the lay up to drop. 

TImeout Denver with 3:09 to go in the 4th quarter. 

Braun to the line after the foul on Whitmore and he hits both FTs. 

Whitmore on the acrobatic finish off the glass. 

KCP drills the three ball in the corner off the Holiday assist!

Jokic to the line after the foul on Landale and he hits both FTs. 

Hinton drills the three ball form the top of the key! They need a few more of those to go down if they want to get back in this ball game. 

Jokic to the line after the foul on Landale, and he hits one of two FTs. 

Holiday get the FT to go for the three point play. 

Holiday sprints to the bucket and he gets the lay up AND 1.. He'll be at the line after the TO with 5:47 to go in the 4th quarter. 

Jackson off the screen from Jokic and he slashes to the rack for the lay up. 

Jokic with the offensive board, and got it to Braun for three!

Sengun with the euro step and gets the push shot to go in the lane. 

KCP with a three ball in the corner off the Jokic assist. He has another triple double, but that was a given. 

Smith follows his own miss and gets the tip in to go. 

Murray to the line after the foul on Holiday and he hits both FTs. 

Green went up for a spectacular dunk attempt and he hits both FTs after the foul on Braun. 

Smith is fouled by Murray and he hits one of two FTs. 

Alley oop over the top from Murray and Braun goes up and lays it in. 

Nnaji to the line after getting fouled by Holiday on the put back and he hits one of two FTs. 

Murray gets the lay up to go to start the fourth quarter after a steal by MPJ. 

We are at the end of the third quarter and the Rockets are hanging around! 12 to go here from Ball Arena. 

Jeff Green at the line after the foul on Nnaji and he hits one of two. 

Nnaji at the line after the foul on Bullock Jr. and he hits both FTs. 

MPJ drilled another three off the dribble, but Green answers back with his own three! That's 19 in the quarter for Green!

Green to the line after the foul on Braun and he hits one of two FTs. 

Green on the pull up three ball and he's on fire! 15 of his 20 in this third quarter!

Jackson finds Porter Jr. on the baseline for the reverse lay up. 

Jeff Green heard the whistle blow and he threw it up off the glass and hit it! FT is good for the three point play. 

Landale gets the floater in the paint to drop after the assist from Green. 

Green pulls up this time from a step inside the line. 

Jokic to the line after the foul on Sengun and he hits both FTs. 

Jackson got into the paint and threw up a prayer which was answered in the middle of the lane. 

Green drills another three ball this time from the top of the key and the Rockets want to cut this lead to 10 before the 4th quarter. 

Jokic at the line after the foul on Brooks and he hits both FTs. 

KCP almost lost it on the baseline drive but tracked down and hit Holiday for the corner three ball. 

Green drills a three ball and the Rockets are just hanging around. 

Green finds Sengun for an easy lay up and he's over 20 tonight. 

Porter Jr. with a deep two and he's 9/11 from the field. 

Green to the line after the foul on Jokic and he hits both FTs. 

Holiday with the three ball off the Jokic assist out of the timeout!

Segun streaking down the lane and throwing it down with two hands!

Nuggets need a timeout with 7:34 on the clock. 

Pick and roll from Murray and he finds Jokic for he lay up in the paint. 

Holiday with a pull up jumper from outside the paint. 

Jokic with his patented fade away from the FT line over Sengun. 

Green with a mid range step back jumper. 

Murray on the step back three over Brooks and Murray is back!

Sengun comes out of the break and spins to the bucket for a finger roll. 

Pick and roll from KCP to Jokic who gets the floater to drop. 

Timeout Rockets two minutes into the second half. 

Senugun streaks to the bucket and gets the two handed lay up to drop. 

Jokic gets the dump off after the pass from Holiday and puts in the lay in. 

WE ARE BACK AT BALL ARENA FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION FROM DENVER. 

Smith starts the third quarter with a three ball from the top of the key!

Porter Jr. has 23 at halftime, and has hit 6 threes! The first half wasn't about Murray or Jokic, it was all about MPJ. 

We don't see Joker posterize too many people but he took his chance to put Sengun in the camera lens with the one handed jam. Jokic has 17, 7 rebounds and 12 assists already. 

Once again, it's Sengun is leading the Rockets with 12 points and five rebounds but they will need more of him in the second half if they are going to have any chance tonight. 

Any time you can get some offensive production from Dillon Brooks that will only spur him on the defensive end. He's got 11 points through two quarters. 

A familiar face helped the Rockets claw back into the game. Former Nugget Jeff Green got a couple buckets late in the first quarter, and at the start of the second quarter spurred a Rockets run. Green will be getting his championship ring at halftime. 

Porter Jr. got hot and stayed hot. He hit four threes in the first quarter to help the Nuggets get out to a 19 point first quarter lead. 

Murray looks like he is back to his best even after the early ankle roll. Murray has 9 points, two rebound and two assists after the first half. 

The Nuggets got a win even before they stepped on the court getting Jamal Murray back from a hamstring injury. He twisted his ankle three minutes into the first quarter, but shook it off and came back to play. 

We are heading to halftime with the Nuggets up 17! They lead by as much as 19 in the first quarter. Two more quarters to play from Ball Arena. 

Jokic was left all alone and pulled the trigger from three point distance!

Brooks called for a foul on the Porter Jr. three ball. He goes to the line and hits just one of three FTs. 

Brooks with the floater AND 1 after the foul on Holiday. FT is good for the three point play. 

Holiday on the cut down the lane and Jokic found him for the lay up. 

Brooks with an offensive board, and takes a power dribble for a lay up. 

KCP puts it on the deck and races to the rim for a lay up on the left side. 

Smith with a mid range jumper and that was smooth. 

Porter Jr. with ANOTHER three ball, that's number six on the night! He's got 22 first half points!

Timeout from Ball Arena with the Nuggets up 13 with 2:48 to go in the first half.

Sengun with the three ball again and he's hit a couple quick three balls to keep his team in the game. 

Jokic with back to back bucket, one with a jam and another on the offensive boards. 

Sengun answers back with a three ball from the top of the key. 

Holiday with an offensive rebound and he hit Porter for another three ball!

Sengun had numbers on the break but kept it and when over two defenders for the lay up. 

Dump off from Sengun to Smith on the baseline and he gets the lay up to drop. 

Murray got fouled by Sengun on a three ball and he hits all three FTs. 

Brooks at the line after the Murray foul and he hits one of two FTs. 

Porter Jr. slashes down the lane and finishes off the glass in traffic. 

Porter Jr. with the back cut to the rim and Jokic found him. 

Brooks in the corner for three and he strings it. 

Murray drills the triple and his ankle is looking ok after an early scare. 

Jalen Green with a strong drive and a cool finish off the glass on the left side. 

Jokic with the offensive board and put back off the Porter Jr. three. 

Jokic fakes the handoff at the elbow and walked to the rim for a lay up. 

A couple of offensive rebounds from Houston and Bullock Jr. drills the three ball on the wing! 10-0 run for Houston!

Green drills a three ball out fo the timeout and the lead is now down to 11!

Green put a sweet move on his defender and hit the short jumper to cut into the lead a little more. 

Timeout Nuggets with 10:24 to go. 

Eason hits a step back jumper from the FT line and slowly but surely the Rockets are getting into this game. 

Jackson with a three ball with the shot clock winding down to start the second quarter scroing!

Eason follows up the Holiday miss and gets the tip in for the final bucket of the first quarter 

Nuggets lead 41-26 after 12 minutes. 

Jackson answers back from a three ball from the top of the key. Remember he is coming off the best game of his career last game. 

Green with a three ball and the Rockets are starting to get the offense going. 

Green with a three ball and the Rockets are starting to get the offense going. 

Jordan backs down his defender and finishes underneath the rim. 

Bullock Jr. drills the three ball from the top of the key!

A little one handed shot put from Jackson after getting into the lane. 

Jordan to the line after the foul on Bullock and Jordan airballed one and missed the second. 

HOliday hits the floater down the lane for his first points of the night. 

Braun with a baseline drive and throws down a two handed slam. 

Smith with the three ball out of the timeout, and the Rockets needed to see the ball go through the rim. 

Denver caught the Rockets asleep on an inbounds play and Braun snuck down court for a wide open lay up. 

Timeout Rockets with under 3:00 to go in the first quarter. 

Jokic with a swing pass across the lane and he found Nnaji streaking baseline for the lay up. 

Smith with a tough shot on the fader from the elbow. 

Porter Jr. drill his fourth three of the night, this one from the top of the key after the Jokic assist. 

Jokic backs down Landale and finishes on the baseline with a jump hook. 

Brooks puts it on the deck and finishes off the glass in traffic. 

Jackson on the floor off the timeout and he takes it right to the rim and lays it off the glass. 

Jokic streaks down the lane and hits the runner after getting a friendly roll. 

Timeout Rockets with 6:14 left in the first quarter. 

Sengun getting going with a short jumper off the dish from Smith. 

KCP gets the mid range jumper to fall from the elbow. 

Holiday pulls up off the step back and drills it over Murray. 

Holiday drills a three ball after an offensive rebound from Porter Jr. 

Porter Jr with back to back triples on two straight possessions. He's got three triples already. 

Sengun ges a lay up off the Green dish down low. 

Murray is back on the floor after the timeout and drills a 45 footer with the shot clock winding down!

Green drills a three ball to put the Rockets on the board! Murray fell awkwardly after missing a shot on the other end of the court and is limping on his left foot. This could be disastrous for the Nuggets who just got Murray back. 

Jokic takes it to the rack on a spin around Sengun and finishes with the lay up. 

Porter Jr. with a three ball to start us off after the Jokic assist down low. 

WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM BALL ARENA!!

The Rockets are looking to spoil the Nuggets perfect record at home and have a chance to go 3-0 over the defending champions. 

Tonight's odds

The Nuggets return home as a 10 point favorites with the Over/Under set at 217.5 from Ball Arena. 

With Murray and Jokic back? There's no question who I'm taking. Nuggets -10 all day!

Nuggets win 109-84

Home sweet home

Both the Nuggets and the Rockets enjoy the comforts of home cooking. The Nuggets have a perfect record of 8-0 at home, while the Rockets have only lost one of their nine games at the Toyota Center. The problem comes when these two teams hit the road. Denver has lost six of their ten games away from Ball Arena while the Rockets have yet to win a game on the road. Wouldn’t it be wild if this young team got their first away win on the floor of the defending champions. 

Western Conference Standings

It’s early in the season, but it’s never too early to start looking at the standings. The Minnesota Timberwolves are the surprise of the season, leading the Western Conference with 13 wins and just 4 losses a month into the season. The Nuggets are sitting below them in second with a record of 12-6, which shouldn’t really worry them considering they were 11-7 after their first 18 games last year. The Rockets are sitting a game over .500 at 8-7, above the Pelicans, Warriors and Clippers who were all playoff teams last year. There is a turning of the tides in the West. The teams who we are used to seeing in the postseason are aging which is making way for the young guns in the league. 

Return of Jamal

The last thing the Nuggets want to do is rush Jamal Murray back from his hamstring injury. The All Star guard has battled injury for most of his time in Denver, but we got a look at just how dangerous this team can be when they have Murray running things in the backcourt. They let him rest, recover and fully heal that hamstring before even considering his return, but now he is ready for a return to the hardwood which comes at a perfect time for Denver. The Nuggets were 6-1 before his Murray’s injury, since then they are 6-5, which tells you all you need to know about just how important the Canadian is to his team. 

Alperen lifting Rockets off

The Rockets won just 22 games last year, which put them in second to last place in the West at the end of the regular season. They have been at the bottom of the barrel for a few years now, but things look like they are starting to turn around in Houston. Alperen Sengun is one of the main reasons for the sudden turnaround of one of the worst teams in the league last season. He leads the Rockets with 20.9 points a game and 9.1 rebounds. We started to see signs of his abilities last year, but this season he has taken the reigns and is the top scoring option for Ime Udoka’s team. 

Role call on role players

The Nuggets were without their two All-Stars on the road last game, but that didn’t stop them from topping the Clippers at the Crypto.com Arena. The role players stepped up and showed that they can carry the team in the absence of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. Jokic’s injury was a minor one that won’t keep him on the sidelines for the long term, but last game showed that Reggie Jackson, DeAndre Jordan and KCP can manage the workload if they are forced to. 

Nuggets last game 

The Nuggets took a quick trip to LA to take on the Clippers and it was a couple of former Clips who took charge against their old team. Jamal Murray was out with a hamstring injury and Nikola Jokic sat out the game in LA due to a lower back injury. That meant the Nuggets were going to need someone to step up. Reggie Jackson scored a season high 35 points and dished 13 assists while DeAndre Jordan looked like the DeAndre Jordan of yesteryear, posting 21 and 13 rebounds. The Clippers had a nine point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Denver held Kawhi Leonard and the Clips to just 16 points in the final 12 minutes. 

Rockets last game 

The Rockets had a chance to advance to the next round of the first ever NBA In-Season Tournament, but Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks ended their run with a big fourth quarter as the Slovenian ended the game with 41, 9 and 9. Kyrie Irving came in the second half, scoring 22 of his 29 in the final 24 minutes and helping over come a Rockets four point lead to start the final quarter. Alperen Sengun led the Rockets on a 31 point night in which he added 9 rebounds and six assists. 

We are live from the Mile High City

Hello everyone and welcome to Ball Arena where the Nuggets have played just once in the last two weeks. Six of their last seven games have been on the road, and they are going through a rough patch that they haven’t experienced since before their title winning season. The Rockets are on the rise as their handful of high draft picks over the last few years have finally started to compliment each other and they are an early candidate for a playoff spot. They have already beaten the Nuggets once this year, and will look to do it tonight on their home floor. 

Rockets vs. Nuggets

It’s a Western Conference showdown from Ball Arena as the defending NBA Champions return home for a showdown against one of the youngest and most explosive teams in the league. It’s the Denver Nuggets hosting the Houston Rockets from the Mile High City and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, analysis and highlights of tonights game.