The Nuggets have broke their two game losing skid that they found themselves on after getting beat by both the Blazers and Lakers without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Tonight saw Jamal Murray return though, and his impact was felt immediately. Jokic was not brought back as he continues to fight off injuries. DeAndre Jordan started in his spot and provided solid enough minutes.

First Half

The first half saw the Nuggets and Rockets trade punches and runs, back and forth. It was a tight game the entire way. Jamal would score a bucket, Jalen Green would draw a foul on the other end, Jamal would score another bucket, Amen Thompson would get a drive to the rack and finish on the other end, repeat ad nauseam. Jamal was the stand-out before the halftime break as well, having 17 points by the interim.

The Nuggets did struggle defensively, though that can be said about most nights nowadays. A lot of their problems came with the fact that fouls became an issue fast. The Rockets took 8 more free throws than the Nuggs, including 14 from Jalen Green. Green was inefficient on the night, but was able to reach a good level of production that way. Both teams went into the break at 57 points a piece.

Second Half

After the break is when the real goods of the game lied for Nuggets fans though, the third quarter’s vibes proved to be immaculate. Jamal Murray made all the difference! He had 17 points in the third frame alone, and that was quite literally the hole the Rockets would find themselves in after. They got outscored 39-22, with the rest of the team contributing relatively equally. It was a good return for Jamal coming off of his series of absences, dropping an efficient 39 on the whole night. He hit 15 of his 28 field goal attempts, and 4 of his 6 from beyond the arc.

The fourth quarter saw the lead that the Nuggets had built nearly crumble. They were caught on the back foot, and the offense was ugly. They only scored 20 points in the final frame, with Jamal only scoring 5 of those. Though it wasn’t enough of an effort from the Rockets. The 32 points that were dropped came up just shy, seeing as they put the pressure on the Nuggets until the last minute of the game. With that being the case, Denver was able to pack it up 116-111. This win pushes them up to the third seed, and closes the gap between them and the Rockets.