The Houston Rockets visited the Denver Nuggets in a game where Jokic and Gordon were absent for the Nuggets, while Eason and Smith continued to be sidelined. The Nuggets' starting lineup featured Murray, Westbrook, Braun, Porter, and Little Jordan; the Rockets countered with VanVleet, Green, Dillon, Amen, and Shen Jing.
In the first quarter, the Nuggets started with two turnovers, followed by a three-pointer from Van Jordan, which was answered by a three-pointer from Murray against Shen Jing. Green made a mid-range shot, Amen had a baseline alley-oop, and Westbrook hit a corner three to stop the bleeding. After Jalen Green's 3+1, Malone called a timeout. Upon resuming, the Nuggets committed another turnover and had to rely on Murray's individual play. Shen Jing struggled with turnovers and was blocked twice by Little Jordan. Van Jordan hit another three-pointer, and the score was 23-18 when Dillon stepped out of bounds, leading to a timeout. After the timeout, Green assisted White Magic with a three-pointer, but the Rockets turned over the ball and were countered by Braun's outside shot, prompting Udoka to call a timeout in frustration. The first quarter ended with the Nuggets trailing 23-28, five points behind.
In the second quarter, during the rotation phase, Van Jordan came in with a mid-range shot and then assisted White Magic with a three-pointer, extending the Rockets' lead to ten points. Porter scored a basket plus zero to stop the bleeding. However, Old Sister-in-Law also hit a three-pointer, and Westbrook's offensive rebound led to an assist for his teammate. Adams' ground pass set up Amen for a dunk, and Shen Jing returned to contribute against Saric, increasing the lead to thirteen points, forcing Malone to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Nuggets scored five consecutive points, but White Magic grabbed a rebound and slammed it home. Van Jordan stole the ball and set up Dillon for a three-pointer, and Amen's breakthrough 2+1 forced another opponent timeout. After the timeout, the Rockets continued to expand their lead with two more three-pointers, while Westbrook responded with a three-pointer of his own. However, Jalen Green went on a scoring spree, racking up ten points to decimate the Nuggets. At halftime, the Rockets led 69-48, a twenty-one point advantage.
In the third quarter, the Rockets maintained their momentum. Jalen Green continued his scoring streak, hitting multiple threes and delivering powerful dunks, including one over Saric. He scored another thirteen points in the third quarter before sitting out the fourth. Overall, Jalen Green played only 30 minutes but had an impressive stat line of 16 shots made out of 30 attempts, six threes out of ten, and eight free throws out of eight, totaling 34 points, one rebound, and five assists.
Amen was also omnipresent on both offense and defense. In the first half, he had seven shots made out of fourteen attempts, three free throws made out of one, scoring nine points with three rebounds and two steals, and a +24 plus-minus. In the second half, although his scoring decreased, he contributed with two more steals and two blocks, including a chase-down block from 20 meters away in the fourth quarter. In total, Amen played 35 minutes, making eight shots out of fourteen attempts and seven free throws out of three, contributing eleven points, nine rebounds, four steals, and two blocks.
Shen Jing struggled in the first half, shooting inefficiently and missing layups while being blocked twice by Little Jordan. He finished the first half with four shots made out of thirteen attempts, zero threes out of one, and two free throws out of two, scoring ten points with eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal, and a +15 plus-minus. However, he improved in the third quarter, playing smartly and assisting his teammates multiple times. In the entire game, he played only 26 minutes, making nine shots out of twenty-one attempts and two free throws out of two, scoring twenty points with nine rebounds, eight assists, and two steals.
Westbrook surpassed Carter in career points during the game. In the first half, he had four shots made out of nine attempts, two threes out of four, and two free throws out of two, scoring twelve points with three rebounds, two assists, and one steal, but with a -15 plus-minus. In the entire game, he made six shots out of fourteen attempts, three threes out of five, and two free throws out of two, scoring seventeen points with four rebounds, two assists, and one steal. With today's seventeen points, Westbrook's career points surpassed Carter, moving him up to 21st in NBA history.
In the end, the Rockets won a big victory over the Nuggets with a score of 128-108, securing their fifth consecutive win. Let's take a look at the specific performances of the players!