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Mar 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) shoots the ball over Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) in the first quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images<\/p>\nThe Nuggets came into tonight\u2019s game against the third-place Rockets barely out of play-in seeding and looking like a team sputtering toward the finish line. But as is so often the case with this core of superbly talented and gritty competitors, the slow death of a season may have been greatly exaggerated.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how the Nuggets responded to being blown out by the Knicks and gutted by the Thunder.<\/p>\n
1st Quarter<\/p>\n
Jamal Murray and Jabari Smith Jr. dueled in the first. The Nuggets started cold (1-5 FGM) but tied the game at seven after a CB layup and Cam trey. Two layups for Murray then gave Denver a three-point lead, followed by a dribble hand-off three, prompting the Rockets first timeout. Both teams stalled on offense into the final quarter of the first until Murray and Jabari Smith Jr. traded jumpers. After a Nuggets timeout, Jokic got going, converting on a middy then finding Christian leaking out for an easy dunk. The Joker turned it over with under a minute left but returned the favor on the other end and hit Bruce in transition, which ended in a shooting foul (1-2 FTM). With a second left, THJ fouled Sengun, but Not-Quite-Jokic-Jr. missed both, and the Nuggets went to the second up 24-20. <\/p>\n
Mar 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) shoots the ball over Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) in the first quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
2nd Quarter<\/p>\n
Predictably, Hardaway Jr. started the 2nd cooking with a three and driving layup to extend the Nuggets lead to 31-26. He then turned it over in the open court, though, leading to an Eason layup. After Amen Thompson laid it in through contact followed by a Sengun sprint-out dunk, the Rockets had tied the game at 31 just four minutes in. Back-and-forth scoring followed with Big Val\u2019s fourth point and two jumpers by Mal and Cam being matched by Nugget-Killing Reed Sheppard converting a finger roll and Sengun and Thompson each scoring in the paint. <\/p>\n
The teams went back-and-forth with neither establishing any clear momentum after Jokic checked back in. Cam Johnson\u2019s run-out finally built the Nuggets lead back up to three with 2:26 left in the half, cueing a Rockets timeout. A pair of CB layups on Jokic assists extended the lead to 50-43 before Capela\u2019s dunk stopped the run. Eason\u2019s jumper through a solid AG contest cut the Nuggets lead to three, but Christian hit a long stepback trey at the buzzer to give the Nuggets a 53-47 lead at the half, having held Kevin Durant to just five points on four shots.<\/p>\n
3rd Quarter<\/p>\n
Jokic set the tempo out of the gate with four quick points, giving the Nuggets their first double-digit lead. But Thompson, Eason, and Durant matched with back-to-back-to-back layups. AG finally got the big stop, blocking Sengun and setting up a Jokic-to-Johnson three in transition. After Sengun countered with a driving layup, a Jokic floater and Murray dunk off a long rebound and run-out forced a Rockets timeout as the Nuggets threatened to blow the game open (64-55). <\/p>\n
Out of the timeout, the Nuggets turned up the pressure on a clearly gassed Rockets squad. Cam\u2019s third from deep was matched by KD and Amen pullups, but a Jokic and-one grew the Nuggets\u2019 lead to 70-59. A foul on Murray with 6:00 minutes left put the Rockets over the limit while Denver had yet to foul in the quarter. Staying aggressive, Cam barreled through Okogie to earn a trip to the line where he converted both for his 15th point. He then followed this season-best scoring outburst with a steal, leading to Murray\u2019s 20th point on a transition layup and ballooning the Nuggets\u2019 lead to 76-61. CB added two more nails to the coffin with back-to-back deep Js, and the rout was on with 4:01 left in the third. The Rockets tried but couldn\u2019t mount a response to close out the quarter, and the Nuggets entered the fourth up 93-69 on a THJ dagger. <\/p>\n
Easily Cam Johnson’s best game in \u2026 well \u2026 a long long time. Welcome to the team Mr. Johnson!<\/p>\n
\u2014 Jeff Morton (@jmorton78) March 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 4th Quarter<\/p>\n The Rockets came out with a back-of-the-bench lineup, giving the good guys a chance to rest their stars with a brutal back-to-back against the Spurs on Thursday. Hardaway Jr. hit another bomb to explode the lead to a game-high 27. Mal added a jumper and three, giving him 30 for the game and a quick hook. A big Val layup and Brucey B three nuked the Nuggets lead to 33 and ensured Jokic and AG could also rest up for tomorrow\u2019s showdown at the Alamo. <\/p>\n FINAL SCORE: Houston Rockets 93, Denver Nuggets 129 <\/p>\n GAME NOTES<\/p>\n Nikola Jokic has four straight seasons with 25+ triple doubles\u2014first in NBA history<\/p>\n The Rockets 36-point loss was the largest of the season<\/p>\n Denver won the season series 3-1, which could be significant in the tight Western Conference standings<\/p>\n Nobody since 1996-97 has ever had a half with *at least* 6 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 steals. Regular season or playoffs.<\/p>\n Nikola Jokic is the first, as long as all stats hold up.<\/p>\n \u2014 Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) March 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t