Denver Nuggets defeated Houston Rockets in the highly anticipated matchup between the two Western Conference divisional leaders. The final result was 105-95 for the Nuggets, who snapped the stretch of Houston’s excellent plays. Mike D’Antoni’s crew lost for the first time after 8 consecutive victories.
The Nuggets had two periods in which they outplayed the guests pretty confidently. The first one happened in the opening quarter. The Rockets were up 15-9, but couldn’t score for more than five and a half minutes, and Denver made a 15-0 run which completely turned the situation on the court of Pepsi Center.
After that, the hosts were keeping things under control, and although the Rockets did have some comebacks, the situation was stable for Mike Malone’s guys.
The next surge of the hosts came in the third period. They scored 16 points, allowing just three, and the result after that rush was 77-62. In more than seven minutes, one of the teams with the biggest offensive potential dropped three buckets, scored from downtown by James Harden.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Jokic and Murray led the way during this burst. Denver’s duo scored 11 points, successfully assisting to one another, and also delivering dimes to other teammates.
The final 12 minutes saw ferocious Nuggets who didn’t allow the smallest chances for Houston to come back. They seized the control of the game, and routinely beat one of the biggest contenders for the NBA title.
The Nuggets heavily outscored their rivals in the paint, 60-38, mostly due to Jokic who delivered 27 points. The Joker also added 12 rebounds and was shooting 12 for 19 from the field.
“What a quite 27 points. That’s a really unique thing about that young man,” said Malone about the Joker, who replied to his coach.
For the Rockets, who had 21 turnovers, only three players scored more than 7 points. James Harden had 27 with 7 boards and assists each, while Westbrook added 25. Clint Capela has an astonishing 21 boards. Westbrook and Harden had 16 for 38 from the field, and were pretty much contested each time they went for the buckets.
“They understand when we defend like this, we can beat anybody in the NBA,” Malone praised the defensive effort of his boys on the two MVP’s from the other side.
This was the sixth win over the last seven games for the Denver Nuggets (10-3) who are leading the Northwest Division at the moment. Following this event, Jokic and the guys have three more at home. The next against the Celtics this Friday, after that against the Suns on Sunday, and versus the Washington Wizards next Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Rockets (11-4) who lead the Southwest Division, interrupted an 8-game winning streak. Up next, they have a big road-clash against the LA Clippers on Friday. They’ve already met with Doc Rivers team once, and won 102-93. After that, Houston plays three straight matches at home. The first opponents are the Dallas Mavericks, then the Miami Heat, and finally the Atlanta Hawks.
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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