Jamal Murray led the Denver Nuggets with 39 points in a 116-111 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night, snapping Houston’s nine-game winning streak. Denver improved to 45-27, closing the gap on the second-seeded Rockets, who dropped to 46-26.
Murray fueled Denver’s offense with 17 points in the third quarter as the Nuggets outscored Houston 39-22 to take a commanding 96-79 lead. Michael Porter Jr. contributed 17 points and nine rebounds, while Aaron Gordon added 13 points and eight assists.
DeAndre Jordan stepped up in Nikola Jokic’s absence, posting 11 points and 15 rebounds. Russell Westbrook provided a spark off the bench with 14 points, helping Denver shoot 51% from the field and 47.6% from three.
Jalen Green led the Rockets with 30 points, while Dillon Brooks chipped in 21 points. Alperen Sengun notched a triple-double with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Steven Adams recorded 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Trailing 109-100 with 90 seconds remaining, Houston went on a 7-1 run to cut the lead to three after a Sengun layup. However, Christian Braun sank two clutch free throws to push the lead back to five, securing the victory.
Sengun split a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left, but Murray sealed the win with two makes from the line. Houston struggled at the free-throw line, converting just 22 of 34 attempts, while Denver made 18 of 26.
The Nuggets improved to 2-2 without Jokic, who missed his fourth straight game with a left ankle impingement. With 10 games left in the season, Denver is now just one game behind Houston in the Western Conference standings.
