Rockets Lose Steam in Second Half, Fall to Nuggets, 129-113, in Denver
Hateful Eight. Second Half Struggles. The Big Bad Jokers.
Aleperen Sengun, aka “Little Joker”, held his own against his “idol”, back-to-back MVP Nikola “The Joker” Jokic on Monday night, to begin Houston’s four-game west coast trip. Seungun led the Rockets in scoring with 18 points, but it wasn’t enough, as Jokic and Jamal Murray combined to score 63 points on 65% shooting overall to ensure Houston had no chance of pulling the upset. As a result, Denver dealt the Rockets a 129-113 defeat on Monday night. The Rockets stood toe-to-toe with the Nuggets in the first half, trailing by only two points entering the break, However, the Rockets lacked fire coming out of the break, and scored only five more points in the second half than they registered in the entire first quarter alone. Houston needs to come out strong after halftime on Wednesday night, as these teams square off-again in Denver. The third quarter will arguably once again be the key, as the Rockets have often struggled playing out of the break, especially if they’re too comfortable, (aka the game is close or they have the lead).
On Monday, Jokic was perfect in the third period. The Joker went a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, and didn’t need to even score in the fourth quarter, as the Nuggets pulled away with a 10-1 run to close the third quarter. As mentioned previously, Sengun, aka, “Little Joker” led Houston with 18 points, but he contributed only 3 points in the Rockets dismal second half. Other than Jalen Green, who had another off-shooting night, going 5-for-15 from the field for 17 points, Houston didn’t shoot the ball poorly in this matchup. The Rockets shot 45.9% from the floor, and an above average, but not great, 36.4% from three-point range. After a string of three consecutive solid games, Jabari was somewhat underwhelming. The rookie needed to be more aggressive on Monday. Jabari took only four shots, and made three of them. Obviously, Denver’s bigger lineup and physicality is a part of the NBA game that Houston’s promising rookie is still adjusting too. Look for Smith Jr. to receive more opportunities as these squads battle again in the rematch on Wednesday night. The Rockets need him to contribute like he did this past weekend if Houston wants to end their dreadful eight-game skid to the Nuggets.
The Big Bad Joker. The back-to-back reining MVP. Nikola Jokic is the real deal, and he proved it once again on Monday night, albeit with much-needed assistance from Jamal Murray. Both players put on 11-for-17 shooting displays, and if the Rockets want any chance of taking Part 2 of this mini-series, they need to contain Denver’s lethal duo. Houston needs to make the rest of the Nuggets beat them. Whether it’s Aaron Gordon, Ish Smith, or Zeke Nnaji (someone most people have never head of) rising from the dead, and having the best game of his life. Nnaji scored 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting in only 18 minutes of action on Monday, third in scoring behind Jokic and Murray. Well, up next these teams hit the hardwood for a rematch on Wednesday night. Same place, Denver’s Ball Arena. Hopefully, the Rockets have had some time to acclimate with the altitude… and possibly shock the Nuggets in the rematch of the NBA’s “Jokers.”