They did it ! The Rockets had to put out a near-perfect match to hope to inflict their second defeat on the reigning champion at the start of the season. Mission accomplished for Ime Udoka’s men who never gave up in a match which remained undecided practically until the end!
The first quarter was initially the scene of the Nikola Jokic festival, which, it must be said, made Alperen Sengun dizzy with his 16 points at 6/8 shooting in the first 11 minutes of the match ( 23-30). While the Serbian then took his place on the bench for the start of the second act, Houston took advantage of the opportunity to get back together, notably with an 8-0 marked by Jeff Green’s dunk to attack the period and get back in front (31-30 ). This time, the Rockets didn’t look down upon Nikola Jokic’s return.
Alperen Sengun marked his territory with a 2+1 against the Serbian before finding Fred VanVleet at 3-points then scoring twice on free throws (41-43). The duel was well underway, and Nikola Jokic responded with an “and-one” to put Denver back in the lead before the break (46-50), even if the match was far from over.
Student Alperen Sengun has the last word
This feeling was confirmed when Houston returned to the floor with the knife between its teeth, with the VanVleet-Sengun duo once again to make the Nuggets dizzy (60-61). 3-point baskets from the Jackson-Gordon-Porter Jr trio kept Denver in the lead until the end of the third quarter (74-76).
Still alive, the Rockets ended up believing in their chances of winning the reigning champion, and knew how to seize their opportunity to make a breakthrough at the best time.
First there were two baskets from Jeff Green, two 3-point missiles from Tari Eason, and finally a lay-up followed by another 3-pointer from Fred VanVleet to make the Toyota Center jubilant (89-82 ). The following ? It was once again Alperen Sengun who wrote it, with a mid-distance shot on the head of the “Joker”, a well-seen pass in the corner for Jeff Green’s 3-pointer, then a counter to maintain the gap less than four minutes from the end (98-88).
While the match seemed to be over with a final 3-pointer from Jeff Green, X factor of the match (104-93), the Nuggets threw their last strength into the battle and were almost rewarded for their efforts, after a first basket 3-pointer from Reggie Jackson then a second from Nikola Jokic to bring the gap back to -1 with 19 seconds remaining (103-102)! It then took all the composure of FVV on the free throw and of Jae’Sean Tate to intercept the ball on a throw-in and put an end to the suspense.
As a symbol, it was Jeff Green, NBA champion with the Nuggets last season, who made the winning shot, allowing Houston to win 107-104 in an electric atmosphere.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Jeff Green, the timely X factor. NBA champion with the Nuggets last June, Jeff Green went to see if the grass was greener elsewhere when he accepted the Rockets’ offer for a one-year, six million dollar contract. And the strong winger demonstrated yesterday that he still had something under his belt by turning into the X factor of the meeting, the one who helped tip the scales towards Houston. Author of 15 points coming off the bench, he made valuable passages to finish with the best +/- of the match (+14) in 26 minutes of play. He was also present to score important baskets at the end .
– Jokic vs Sengun, a real “Battle Royal”. The NBA and basketball in general have evolved to offer less and less room for positions 5 over the past twenty years. The pivots are not dead, however, far from it. They learned to diversify, and the score rendered by Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun is perhaps one of the most beautiful witnesses to this. The two pivots feasted in an extraordinarily complete style, with rebounding, scoring from almost everywhere, but also remarkable passing quality. Upon arrival, the Serb and the Turk not only blackened the sheet, they delighted their fans at every opportunity. Nikola Jokic emerges victorious on points with his extraordinary stats line, but at the finish, it was the disciple Sengun and the young Rockets who left with the victory. Looking forward to the next duel between the two men, scheduled for the end of the month!
– The Rockets’ good management of “money-time”. The earth shook in Houston when Nikola Jokic achieved the feat of scoring at the head of the racket to bring the Nuggets to 103-102 with 19 seconds remaining. Mike Malone then asked that Fred VanVleet, the opponent’s best free throw player, be taken at two, which was respected in the first sequence, during which Denver still had a foul to give. Caught by a single opponent on the following throw-in, Fred VanVleet was able to receive the ball without problem and score his two throws to give his team a three-way lead. But it was the next throw-in that definitely swung the game in favor of the locals, when Jae’Sean Tate emerged to intercept Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s pass to Michael Porter Jr. An interception celebrated as a victory by the Toyota Center which knew, at that moment, that the match had definitely gone in the right direction.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
