National Basketball Association
Houston 114, Denver 106
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, December 8, 2023
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Officials:
#72 JT Orr, #51 Aaron Smith, #71 Rodney Mott
Attendance:
19544
By Field Level Media
Fred VanVleet had 26 points, Jalen Green scored 25 and the visiting Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 114-106 on Friday night.
Alperen Sengun had 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, Dillon Brooks scored 16 and Jabari Smith Jr. pulled down 10 rebounds for Houston, which survived a furious rally to earn its first road win of the season.
Nikola Jokic had 23 points and 16 rebounds, Jamal Murray finished with 21 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 20, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 14 and Peyton Watson scored 13 for Denver. The Nuggets lost at home for the first time in 10 games this campaign.
The Rockets opened the final period with an 11-4 spurt to lead by 25 but went more than six minutes without scoring and Denver answered with 18 straight points. Jokic made two turnaround jumpers, fed Porter for a 3-pointer, and Jokic made a layup to cut the lead to 103-89 with 5:32 left.
Houston missed nine straight shots and four free throws as the Nuggets continued to chip away. Porter converted a three-point play, Murray made two free throws and Jokic hit a short jumper to make it 103-96.
The Rockets missed all 11 of their shots over the final 8:26 but recovered to close it out at the line.
Houston led by seven in the second quarter until Caldwell-Pope hit a leaning 3-pointer at the second-quarter buzzer to make it 52-48 at halftime.
The Rockets expanded the lead in the early minutes of the third quarter. VanVleet hit a jumper and a 3-pointer and Smith's tip-in made it 61-52.
It was still a nine-point lead when Brooks picked up two fouls and a technical in 17 seconds and Denver took advantage to get within three, but Houston responded.
Green made three free throws and a jumper, Brooks and Aaron Holiday hit a 3-pointer and Green drained a 16-footer to give the Rockets a 79-67 lead with 3:32 left in the third.
Houston closed the quarter on a 13-7 run to lead 92-74 heading into the fourth.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Houston |
|
Denver |
|
Fred VanVleet 26 |
Scoring |
Nikola Jokic 23 |
|
Alperen Sengun 7 |
Assists |
Reggie Jackson 6 |
|
Alperen Sengun 10 |
Rebounds |
Nikola Jokic 16 |
|
Fred VanVleet 10 |
Free Throws Made |
Jamal Murray 5 |
|
Dillon Brooks 2 |
Steals |
Christian Braun 2 |
|
Jeff Green 1 |
Blocks |
Nikola Jokic 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Houston
|
114 |
42.7 |
13-39 |
31-42 |
21 |
47 |
3 |
3 |
10 |
| Denver
|
106 |
42.2 |
10-28 |
20-27 |
22 |
47 |
5 |
4 |
10 |
Upcoming Games
-
Denver will play their next game on the road against Atlanta. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Houston will play their next game at home against San Antonio. The Rockets have a W/L % of .700 after a win and .333 after a loss.
For more information, contact us