Rockets lost to Nuggets 111-116, Murray scored 39 points, Shen Jing scored a triple-double but couldn't save the team

On March 24, the Houston Rockets played against the Denver Nuggets at home. Before the game, the Rockets were on a 9-game winning streak, while the Nuggets were missing their core player Nikola Jokic. However, even without Jokic, the Nuggets still defeated the Rockets 116-111 with Jamal Murray's 39-point efficient performance, ending their opponent's winning streak.

Although Jalen Green of the Rockets contributed 30 points and 5 assists, and Alperen Shin-kyung scored a triple-double of 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, the team was in a slump in the third quarter, and the Nuggets widened the gap and ultimately lost.

At the beginning of the game, the Rockets took the lead and played a 7-0 offensive climax, showing a strong desire to win. However, the Nuggets quickly adjusted their state and gradually caught up with the score with the help of Murray and Porter. At the end of the first quarter, the two sides were tied at 27-27, and the game entered a stalemate.

In the second quarter, the two sides were still in a tug-of-war. The Rockets relied on Jalen Green's breakthrough to maintain their offensive firepower, while the Nuggets, Jordan and Aaron Gordon responded strongly in the paint. At the end of the half, the two teams were still tied at 54-54, and the game was full of suspense.

Entering the second half, the Nuggets began to exert their strength. Murray found his touch from the outside and hit three-pointers in a row. He scored 17 points in a single quarter and led the Nuggets to score 39 points in a single quarter. The Rockets seemed to have few options under the defensive pressure of the Nuggets and only scored 22 points in a single quarter. As the score difference was rapidly widened, the Rockets fell behind the Nuggets by 17 points at 76-93 at the end of this quarter and fell into a passive situation.

In the final quarter, the Rockets did not give up, and led by Jalen Green and Shin Kyung, they launched a counterattack and scored 35-23 in a single quarter. However, due to the deep pit dug in the third quarter, although the Rockets once narrowed the gap to single digits, they failed to complete the reversal due to insufficient time, and lost to the Nuggets 111-116, ending their 9-game winning streak.

Nuggets player statistics

Murray 39 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, Porter 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, Westbrook 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, Aaron Gordon 13 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, Jordan Jr. 11 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, Braun 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, Watson 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, Nagy 2 points, 1 assist

Rockets player statistics

Jalen Green 30 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, Dillon 21 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, Shen Jing 17 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, Adams 14 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, Amen 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, VanVleet 7 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, Smith 7 points, 3 rebounds, Ethan 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

In this game, the Nuggets still showed strong team strength in the absence of Jokic, and Murray's explosion on the offensive end became the key to winning. The Rockets collapsed in the third quarter and failed to effectively limit the opponent's scoring, which became an important reason for the loss. Although Shin Jing scored a triple-double and Jalen Green also scored 30 points, the team's overall performance was still slightly inferior.