Rockets challenge Nuggets
The Houston Rockets have been in good form lately, beating the Hawks and Thunder in quick succession to win two straight games, but even so, the team's current record is only 5-14, still ranking first in the West. In this game, the Rockets will take on the Denver Nuggets, the second presence in the West. Against such an opponent, the Rockets naturally have no chance of winning, but it is undoubtedly a good opportunity for the team's young players, after all, there is the league's MVP Jokic.
The Nuggets have not been very efficient defensively this season, only ranking 24th in the league, but the team's offensive efficiency ranks sixth in the league, which can be said to be very efficient. The Nuggets shoot third in the league from the field and second in the league from three-point range, not from individual ability, but from the league's fourth-place average of assists per game. In contrast, the Rockets' offense is entirely based on individual ability, and the team has the fourth-lowest assists per game in the league.
Clock in for three quarters
At the beginning of the first quarter, the Rockets showed their talent, Shen Jing faced Jokic, seemed to want to prove himself, scored 10 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist on 5-of-6 shooting, veteran Gordon also had 11 points and 1 rebound on 4-of-4 shooting, and the team scored 39 points in a single quarter, which can be said to be very outstanding, but still 3 points behind the Nuggets. Jokic also scored 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, while Murray had 10 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, and the double core power is naturally unstoppable. After returning from the second quarter, Jokic made only one shot, scoring 6 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist on free throws, but Murray carried the team.
Shooting 5-of-6, he scored another 12 points and two assists in a single quarter, scoring 22 points in the first half, far exceeding his average points per game this season. Led by Murray, the Nuggets fended off the Rockets' rally and went ahead by two points at halftime, 70-68. In the second half, the Rockets forgot to pass the ball while playing, the team only had 2 assists in a single quarter, a total of only 23 points, the Nuggets seized the opportunity, Jokic shot 7 of 7, 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in a single quarter, leading the Nuggets to a 15-point lead and completely crushing the opponent.
After returning from the final quarter, the Rockets did not have much resistance, the four major starters did not play, Gordon shot 0 of 4 and did not score a point, Martin Jr. on the bench had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal, and the team scored 22 points in a single quarter. The Nuggets' starting lineup was only Brown, who scored 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist on 2-of-4 shooting, and Nagy on the bench scored 12 points and 3 rebounds to lead the Nuggets to a 129-113 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Jokic has helpers
Although it was clocked out of work in the third quarter, Jokic still scored a quasi-triple-double of 32 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists, once again showing the style of MVP, Murray also had 31 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists, both of whom shot 11 of 17. Jokic, who has helpers, is enough to make the Nuggets a top presence in the league. Brown is 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, Ismail on the bench, also has 10 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals, Nagy broke out in the final quarter, is 15 points and 3 rebounds, Jordan Jr. scored 8 points and 10 rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting.
The Rockets lost the game and became the background plate of the Nuggets' dual-core, but in the first half, the Rockets can be said to be not down, but in the second half, they collapsed, why? The reason is simple, the Rockets played a team in the first half, the team gave 16 assists, but only 9 assists in the second half, the gap is clear. Shen Jing faced Jokic, scoring 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists on 7-of-14 shooting, Green had 17 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists, Porter Jr. had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, Gordon had 11 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, and Martin Jr. on the bench had 15 points and 6 rebounds.