Without Nikola Jokic (hit in the elbow), it is logically Jamal Murray, the day after his great evening in Dallas, who takes the shots, but the playmaker is quite clumsy. In addition, he and his teammates lose a lot of balls in this first quarter. Certainly DeAndre Jordan does the work near the circle with his counterattacks on Alperen Sengun to make up for it, but the Rockets, more economical and playing at their own pace, are in front (23-28).
This is confirmed in the second quarter. Houston plays fair and, as Jalen Green brings his athleticism and success, the gap increases against a team that wastes too many possessions (48-69).
Jalen Green drives the point home in the second half, as fair and skilful as ever. He even allows himself a poster on Dario Saric. The answer comes right away, with Christian Braun riding Cam Whitmore. However, this little bit of heat doesn't change anything about the meeting. The proof with the sequel after Braun's dunk: Whitmore scores, then steals a ball and goes for a dunk on the counterattack, for four points in a few seconds. The Nuggets are still totally dominated by the Texans (81-102).
No surprise in the last quarter since Michael Malone keeps his starters in the fridge, and Ime Udoka does not even need to restart an excellent Jalen Green or Alperen Sengun. Very logical victory for Houston (108-128) against a team already deprived of its best player and which was also playing its third match in four days.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– The Rockets took advantage of lost balls. The Nuggets, especially Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook (five each), lost 18 balls, transformed into 34 points by Ime Udoka's troops. It was one of the fuels for the Texans in this meeting and a big burden for the Denver players.
– Christian Braun’s almost perfect match. The Nuggets guard (22 points) was not far from signing a perfect performance. In fact, he only missed one shot in the game, the last. Otherwise, he had signed a 10/10 before that, with shots that were not easy at all.
– Grandpas are resisting. Nikola Jokic absent, it was DeAndre Jordan who started the meeting. The 36-year-old pivot showed himself in the first quarter with his activity and his shots pushed back against Sengun. In 23 minutes, he made DeAndre Jordan pure sugar with no points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. For the Rockets, Jeff Green, 38, also had a good game with his award-winning baskets, finishing with 8 points in 20 minutes.
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.
