The Houston Rockets flew to Denver to face the Nikola Jokić-less Nuggets. Both teams came into Wednesday night’s matchup as winners of four straight, looking to extend their streak to five.
Houston came out the gates hot, forcing multiple Denver turnovers, leading to easy transition buckets. Veteran guard Fred VanVleet had a quick start, connecting on multiple triples to give the Rockets an early lead over the Nuggets at the end of the first quarter.
They continued their momentum into the second as forward Cam Whitmore got into a rhythm and knocked down a couple of three-point shots to help extend the lead. Star guard Jalen Green got into the action as well, running the break at ease and getting easy buckets around the rim.
Houston outscored Denver 41-25 in the second, leading to a 69-48 lead at the half.
The Rockets built on their strong second quarter, and continued to apply pressure onto the Nuggets defense. Green stayed hot, knocking down multiple triples and throwing down emphatic slam dunks over Denver defenders.
Despite a 33-point effort from the Nuggets in the third, the Rockets managed to match them and hold their 21-point lead heading into the fourth. Houston continued to teeter around a 20+ point lead over Denver throughout the first few minutes of the fourth, and with the game effectively out of hand, brought in the bench unit to finish out the game.
The Rockets went on to defeat the Nuggets 128-108.
The story of the night once again was star guard Jalen Green. He dropped 34 points on 10-of-16 shooting, and continues to dominate in 2025. He has now scored at least 27 points in six out of seven games in the new year.
Star center Alperen Şengün also had a great all-around performance. He put up 20 points on 9-of-21 shooting, corralled nine boards and dished out eight assists in the winning effort.
Houston now extends its win streak to five, making it the longest streak in the NBA at the moment. It will now turn its attention to the Sacramento Kings, who it will face Thursday night as a part of its back-to-back.
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