The Rockets won their first away game, Jokic shot 9-of-26, and the defending champion collapsed
The Rockets challenge the Nuggets
The defending champions are not having a good time, after losing to the Western dark horse Kings, the Nuggets immediately suffered the revenge of the Clippers, after a wave of 2 consecutive defeats, the third position in the West is in jeopardy, and the Los Angeles Lakers behind them are only 0.5 wins behind them, and they have a chance to complete the overtake at any time. As the first person in the world, Jokic rarely played abnormally in the last game, but Nuggets coach Malone is not worried, yes, you never have to worry about Jokic's state. After all, today's Nuggets have welcomed back the full main lineup.
In this game, the Nuggets welcomed the challenge of the Houston Rockets at home. The Rockets can be described as a dark horse in the West this season, and they were still rotten last season, but this season they have become a playoff-level team, and the team's defensive efficiency ranks third in the league.
Raise your eyebrows today
At the beginning of the first quarter of the game, the Rockets were dominated by the opponents, Shen Jing scored 10 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist on 4-of-4 shooting, Dillon also had 6 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal, the team scored 27 points in a single quarter, while the Nuggets who fought at home only scored 22 points, including Jokic made 0 of 5 shots, only 1 point and 5 rebounds, and Murray scored 8 points and 2 rebounds. After returning from the game in the second quarter, Jokic was still in poor shape, with only 2 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist on 1-of-5 shooting, Porter Jr. got 9 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block on 4-of-6 shooting, Pope scored 5 points, but the Nuggets only scored 26 points as a team.
The Rockets stabilized the situation, Jalen Green also scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, and Van Jordan had six points and three rebounds, and the team scored 25 points in the first quarter and led the Nuggets by four points at 52-48 at halftime. In the second half, Jokic finally found his form, scoring 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists on 4-of-9 shooting, but the Nuggets still scored 26 points in the first quarter. The Rockets broke out completely, Jalen Green got 10 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, Van Jordan scored 9 points, 1 assist and 1 block, Dillon and Smith each scored 5 points, and the team blossomed more points, scoring 40 points in a single quarter, directly extending the lead to 18 points.
In the final quarter of the game, the Rockets once took a 25-point lead, but Jokic led the team to a 14-0 counterattack to directly narrow the gap to 11 points. The Rockets missed three free throws in a row, Murray made both free throws, Jokic threw and left, and the Nuggets went on an 18-0 run to narrow the gap to seven points. Green broke the scoring drought on both free throws, Murray was ejected, and the Rockets eventually managed to beat the Nuggets 114-106.
The Rockets refused to come back
The Houston Rockets won a key win and their first on the road, ending their previous 0-8 record. Jalen Green had 26 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, Shen Jing had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, Van Jordan had 25 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, Dillon had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist, and Smith had 9 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. In the face of the Nuggets' counterattack at the last moment, the Rockets looked a little immature, and this is where they need to grow.
The Denver Nuggets failed to complete the comeback, Jokic had 23 points, 16 rebounds and 5 assists, but only shot 9 of 26 and still couldn't get his touch back. Murray had 21 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, Porter Jr. had 20 points and 8 rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting, Pope had 14 points, and Watson on the bench also had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. For the defending champion Denver Nuggets, such a home defeat is somewhat unacceptable, but the team's momentum of chasing points in the final quarter still shows the strength of the defending champion.