The NBA regular season continues to be in full swing, with the Houston Rockets heading to the road to challenge the defending champions, the Nuggets. This season, the Nuggets are undefeated at home. The Rockets, on the other hand, have swallowed an eight-game losing streak on the road and have struggled to find a win so far.
The two teams fought fiercely in this campaign. In the first half, Murray, Porter, and Pope led the team to wrestle with the opponent, and the Rockets achieved four double-doubles. At halftime, Denver trailed by four points. Jokic shot 1-of-10 from the field and scored just 3 points. In the rematch, the Rockets blossomed more points, were able to set off a scoring frenzy in a row, and led the opponent 40-26 in a single quarter. The Nuggets struggled to limit their opponents' all-hands and trailed by 25 points at one point. Jokic picked up his form, teamed up with Murray and Porter to chase points frantically, and once pushed the point difference to single digits. In the decisive moment, VanVleet hit consecutive solid free throws to help the Rockets close the game. In the end, Houston defeated his opponent 114-106 and rejected a 25-point comeback.
The Nuggets won the NBA championship last season and are still considered favourites to win the championship this season. The rebuilding Rockets are far inferior to their opponents in terms of lineup, strength and ranking. was able to narrowly defeat Denver, and the Houston generals can be said to have staged a good show of defeating the strong with the weak, defeating the strong, and causing a big upset. At this point, the defending champion fell to the ground with a bang. The Rockets ushered in their first win on the road.
The defending champion crashed to the ground!4 Tigers 84 22, the Rockets' first away win!Jokic 23 16
In this battle, the Rockets' four Tigers Shen Jing, Dillon Brooks, Van Vleet, and Jalen Green broke out together. Shen Jing played 34 minutes, shooting 7 of 14, 0 of 1 three-pointers, 3 of 5 free throws, and got a quasi-triple-double of 17 points, 10 boards, 7 assists and 1 block. Shen Jing, who was in hot form on the offensive end, also grabbed the most rebounds on the team. And, Shin Kyung delivered the most assists in the game. Shin Kyung also has a prominent performance in limiting Jokic's offense.
Dillon Brooks played 33 minutes, shooting 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-10 from three-point range, finishing with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals. Dillon had a good hand, hitting the most 3-pointers of the game. Dillon Brooks, who continued his strong performance on the defensive end, was still the steal king of this game.
VanVleet played 40 minutes, shooting 6-of-17, 4-of-10 from three-point range and 10-of-13 from the free-throw line to finish with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block. VanVleet scored the game-high as he kept attacking the interior and causing huge problems for the Nuggets' defense. In this game, VanVleet threw a game-high 4 long shots. VanVleet was also the player who walked to the free-throw line the most times in the game. VanVleet hit back-to-back free throws in the decisive moments, allowing him to play the role of the winner. Van Vleet's plus/minus, up to +16.
Jalen Green played 35 minutes, shooting 8-of-17, 2-of-9 from three-point range and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line, finishing with 25 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Jalen Green, who focused on offense, scored the second-highest score of the game. Jalen Green's outburst on the offensive end was key to the Rockets' ability to extend the margin to 25 points.
The Rockets' four Tigers combined to score 84 points, 22 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, and they were the heroes of Houston's upset victory.
Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic played 34 minutes, shooting 9-of-26, 1-of-2 from three-point range and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line to finish with 23 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Jokic made 1 of 10 shots in the first half and achieved a big lead in the second half. Jokic, who scored the team's highest score, is still the rebounding and blocking king of this game. Meanwhile, Jokic had the second-most assists on the team.
Jokic's rebound in the second half was key to the Nuggets' chance to pull off a 25-point comeback. However, the Rockets' multi-point flowering still made Jokic's efforts go to waste.