Three quarters to blow out the game! Jokic triple-double, Murray scores 30, KD only 11 points, Nuggets crush Rockets by 36 at home.

On March 12, Beijing time, the Nuggets hosted the Rockets in an NBA regular season game. In the first two quarters, both teams struggled with cold shooting, but the Nuggets maintained a lead. However, entering the third quarter, the Nuggets surged late in the period, outscoring the Rockets by 18 points in that quarter alone to blow the game open. Shortly after the fourth quarter began, both sides substituted their bench players, and the game ended early. Jokic, who played only three quarters, still recorded a triple-double, and Murray also performed excellently. Ultimately, the Nuggets secured a 129-93 home victory over the Rockets.

Statistics:

Rockets: Durant 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists; Smith 11 points, 7 rebounds; Sengun 10 points; Amen 16 points; Okogie 12 points.

Nuggets: Jokic 16 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists; Murray 30 points; Johnson 17 points; Braun 19 points; Hardaway 14 points; Valanciunas 12 points.

Game progression:

The first quarter began with Sengun scoring on a solo drive against Jokic, and Jokic immediately responded with a mid-range shot. The Rockets scored 5 consecutive points to open a gap, but the Nuggets answered with a 7-0 run to overtake them. Both teams had low shooting accuracy, and the score increased slowly, with the Nuggets consistently holding a slight lead. Later in the quarter, the Rockets mounted an offensive surge to narrow the gap to 1 point, but Murray's mid-range shot halted their momentum. Both sides continued to miss shots; the Rockets failed to score in the final 3 minutes, while the Nuggets also only scored sporadically. At the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets led 24-20 by 4 points.

In the second quarter, both teams' shooting remained cold, and the point difference was hard to reduce. Midway through, the Rockets regained their touch; Sengun scored with a dunk, tying the game at 31. Afterwards, the contest became tight, with the score alternating back and forth. In the final minutes, both teams finally erupted in scoring, rapidly increasing the tally. Amen's dunk gave the Rockets a lead again. The Nuggets immediately responded with an 8-2 surge to widen the gap; Gordon scored two to stem the flow, but Braun hit a near buzzer-beating three-pointer. At halftime, the Nuggets led 53-47 by 6 points.

In the third quarter, the two teams remained locked early on, but the Nuggets' shooting recovered; a 10-2 run quickly expanded the lead to double digits. Just as the Rockets managed to stop the bleeding, the Nuggets unleashed another 12-2 super offensive surge, pushing the gap beyond 20 points. Amen scored a stabilizing dunk, but the Nuggets again scored 6 consecutive points to blow out the Rockets. By the end of the third quarter, the Nuggets led 93-69 by 24 points.

In the final quarter, the Nuggets did not relent; Murray scored 5 straight points, widening the gap to nearly 30. The Rockets directly substituted their bench, and the Nuggets also brought in their second unit, declaring the game into garbage time shortly after the fourth quarter began. The Rockets' bench performed poorly, allowing the Nuggets to gradually extend the lead beyond 30 points. Ultimately, all suspense vanished as the Nuggets secured a 129-93 home victory over the Rockets.

Starting lineups:

Rockets: Durant, Sengun, Eason, Amen, Smith.

Nuggets: Jokic, Murray, Gordon, Johnson, Braun.