The Rockets were bitter after losing to the Nuggets earlier this week, with multiple players complaining about the officiating, and head coach Ime Udoka receiving a fine for his harsh criticisms. The teams played again on Saturday afternoon, and this time, Houston took it to the Nuggets with a nearly wire-to-wire 115-101 win.

The roles were reversed in this one as Kevin Durant was excellent, scoring 31 points and talking trash to the point of getting into the head of Bruce Brown. After the game, Brown claimed that KD crossed the line, which Durant confirmed, saying:

“I definitely wanted to cross the line… some people can talk and play, some people can’t. I think Bruce is learning that now.”

Brown wasn’t the only Nugget who was upset, as David Adelman was ejected early in the fourth quarter as he stormed towards an official, screaming expletives as he was visibly upset with a no-call on his superstar, Nikola Jokic.

Nuggets may not have Rockets’ number after all

This was a stark reversal from the team’s previous two meetings, which had resulted in two wins by Denver, that seemed to leave Houston frustrated. But on this night, they were ready and took advantage of a shorthanded Nuggets squad.

Even with the injuries, Denver had been rolling recently, as this loss snapped a six-game winning streak. The Nuggets definitely missed their three defensive wing aces, with each of Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Peyton Watson being absent for the contest.

Those likely would’ve been a few of Denver’s best options to try and handle Durant and Reed Shepherd, who combined to score 59 points on 17-29 shooting, including 11-15 on three-pointers.

The Nuggets have been doing a good job of surviving through injuries, but those absences were definitely felt in Saturday’s loss. Jokic was good, but not great, scoring 25 points on 9-20 shooting, and Jamal Murray had one of his poorer games of the season, adding just 16 points on a rough 4-13 shooting night.

Luckily, even with the loss, the Nuggets are 20-7 on the season, tied with the Spurs for second-best in the Western Conference. They remain a game ahead of the Lakers, and now two games ahead of the Rockets, still holding a 2-1 lead in the season series.

They still have one matchup remaining, all the way on March 11th, in Houston. That should be a matchup to circle on the calendars, and with any luck, the Nuggets will have their full artillery on deck.