The Denver Nuggets defeated the Houston Rockets 116-111 on the road in the Toyota Center, ending Houston’s nine-game win streak which catapulted them to No. 2 in the West. This win ended the Nuggets’ two-game losing streak without Nikola Jokic available in over a week, helping them reclaim the No. 3 seed in the West.
Jamal Murray delivered an offensive clinic with 39 points (15-28 FG) and seven assists, leading the team in Jokic’s absence. He was complemented well by Michael Porter Jr.’s 17 points (7-16 FG) and nine rebounds, while Aaron Gordon had 13 points and eight assists. DeAndre Jordan notched a double-double as a starter with 11 points (5-7 FG) and 15 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook had 14 points (5-11 FG) off the bench.
Jalen Green continued his strong form with 30 points (8-22 FG) and five assists, while Dillon Brooks had 21 points (8-12 FG). Alperen Sengun completed a triple-double with 17 points (6-15 FG), 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. Backup center Steven Adams had 14 points (6-10 FG) and 12 rebounds and Amen Thompson put up 11 points (5-11 FG), six rebounds, and three blocks.
Let’s take a deeper look at this game and analyze its major takeaways.
Rockets’ Offensive Struggles Return
The Rockets have had a great season, but out of all the West contenders, most expect them to be the first exit in the Playoffs regardless of their seed. This is primarily because of the Rockets’ style of play which has maximized their defensive output while cobbling together good enough offense to compete for wins. Over their recent nine-game win streak, their offensive strategy seemed to come together perfectly.
The Rockets had an offensive rating of 122.9 over these 10 games, by far the best in the NBA. However, for a team that’s been a decidedly average offense over the season (xxx), many questioned if this was the new norm or just a hot run. We still don’t have the answer to that, but the Nuggets proved today that the Rockets offense can be ground into being unproductive, as they were today.
The team shot 39-89 (43.8 FG%) from the field and 11-34 (32.4 3P%) from three in the loss, unable to generate the perimeter creation that’s served them well over this win streak. They might finish the season strong enough for a top-four seed, but it won’t change the fact that the Rockets are easy to scheme for over a Playoff series due to their inherent lack of offensive talent.
Missed Free Throws Haunt Both Teams
A new record for the 2024-25 regular season was set tonight, as the Nuggets and Rockets combined for 20 free throw misses in this game. Denver shot 18-26 (69.2 FT%) from the line while Houston went 22-34 (64.7 FT%), with both teams missing more combined free throws than any other game this season.
The holders of this very forgettable achievement up until now were the Golden State Warriors and Rockets themselves with 18 misses in November, another game which the Rockets lost. Houston also holds the No. 3 spot in this season’s record when they and the Memphis Grizzlies combined to miss 17 combined shots from the line during a matchup in January.
If either team could maximize their opportunities at the line, that could’ve been a massive difference-maker in this matchup. Both teams have some weak shooters from the line, but this was unprecedented for both teams. The Rockets are generally a weak shooting team from the line, with this weakness now costing them yet another game, further building on potential scoring concerns in the Playoffs.
Playoff Rotations Taking Shape
The Nuggets played a nine-man rotation in this game while the Rockets played a very aggressive eight-man rotation with real options getting healthy DNPs on both squads. This includes summer signing Dario Saric for the Nuggets and high-ceiling prospect Cam Whitmore for the Rockets.
The Nuggets were compensating for the loss of Nikola Jokic but did so with extended starting minutes for DeAndre Jordan and then splitting the rest of Jokic’s minutes with Aaron Gordon or Zeke Nnaji at center. Jordan or Nnaji will fall out of the rotation whenever Jokic is back and the Nuggets commit to playing Playoff basketball, so their nine-man rotation will likely continue.
Ime Udoka has been playing his key players extensive minutes all season long, with the coach preferring an eight or nine-man rotation to maximize winning. As a result, options like Jock Landale, Aaron Holiday, and Jeff Green are completely out of the rotation. Cam Whitmore has also lost his role completely, while Jabari Smith Jr. has seen his minutes drastically reduced.
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