‘Disappointed’: Rockets blasted from opening tipoff by Jamal Murray, Nuggets

In an uncompetitive game from the opening tipoff, the young and rebuilding Rockets were no match for the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed, the Nuggets, in Wednesday’s 120-100 loss (box score) at Denver. Alperen Sengun led Houston (5-16) with 18 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes, shooting 8-of-12 (66.7%) overall.

Jamal Murray led Denver (14-7) with 26 points in 31 minutes on 9-of-15 shooting (60.0%), including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers (66.7%). Back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic added 17 points, 9 rebounds, and a game-high 12 assists, shooting 7-of-9 from the field (77.8%).

“I was disappointed with how we began the game,” said head coach Stephen Silas, whose team was outscored in an overwhelming first quarter, 44-24. “Against teams like this, you can’t ease into these games. You’ve got to come in with a defensive mindset, a hard-play mindset, a together mindset. We were even the rest of the game, but when you start like that, it’s hard to win.”

Kevin Porter Jr. had a team-high 23 points and 5 assists for the Rockets, making 5-of-7 from 3-point range (71,4%). However, he made only 3-of-11 (27.3%) from inside the arc. Jalen Green had 16 points on just 6-of-16 shooting (37.5%) and 1-of-7 on 3-pointers (14.3%).

Rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr. continued his recent shooting surge with 13 points, making 3-of-6 from 3-point range (50.0%).

Read on for highlights, analysis and postgame interviews from Denver. Houston finishes out its four-game Western Conference road trip with a tough back-to-back on Friday and Saturday at Phoenix and Golden State. Tipoffs are at 8 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively.