Denver rolls once Jokic takes over
For a half, the Rockets could keep pace with the Nuggets on Monday night at Denver. They poured in 3-pointers. Alperen Sengun dueled Nikola Jokic. They led for much of the first half and were within two heading into the third quarter.
Jokic, however, had only hinted at what was to come. The Rockets could not maintain the highflying offensive pace of the first half, anyway. But when Jokic shifted into MVP levels of dominance, the Nuggets turned what had been a close game into a 129-113 blowout, their eighth consecutive win against the Rockets.
The Rockets had a brief third-quarter run to close to within 81-80 and force the Nuggets to call a timeout with 7:45 left in the third. In the 12 minutes to end the third quarter and begin the fourth, they outscored the Rockets 35-16, building a 20-point lead with the starters — save Denver’s fill-in starter Bruce Brown — done for the night early.
No one dominated quite like Jokic in the third quarter, when he made all seven of his shots, scoring 16 of his 32 points, and setting up eight more points with assists. He finished with 12 rebounds and eight assists in his 27 minutes while guard Jamal Murray scored a season-high 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting in just 26 minutes.
Sengun led the Rockets with 18 points but scored just three in the second half, going out with four fouls midway through the third quarter and not returning.
After making 12 of 27 3-pointers in the first half, the Rockets went 4 of 17 from deep in the second half. That kept the Rockets from having a chance to keep up the scoring pace of the first half. The Nuggets had no such difficulty.
Centers of attraction
The mystery about who would start at center now that Bruno Fernando and Sengun were both healthy and available for the first time since the second game of the season was answered when the starting lineup and rotation was unchanged from the weeks Fernando was out.
Sengun not only started, the Rockets ran their offense through him as much from the start against the Nuggets as they had against the Thunder on Saturday. The difference between those teams goes beyond that one could be a championship contender and the other is a contender in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
The Nuggets have the two-time MVP, Jokic, at center. The Thunder don’t have a center, with Chet Holmgren injured and out for his rookie season.
Sengun dominated the Thunder, but he did not look that different against the Nuggets.
By the end of the half, Nuggets coach Michael Malone took Jokic off Sengun to avoid having him pick up his third foul. Moments later, after one possession with Zeke Nnaji on Sengun and one in a zone, Jokic led a break and Sengun stepped in to draw a charge.
Sengun was close to getting there. Jokic even was initially called for the charge. Malone challenged the call and after a review, it was overturned, giving Sengun a third foul instead of Jokic. That ended Sengun’s half with 1:43 left, but he and his basketball hero played the first half pretty much to a draw.
Sengun made 7 of 11 shots for 15 first-half points with three assists. Jokic made just 4 of 10 shots in the half but routinely got the rebound of his misses, scoring 16 first-half points (half from the line) with five assists.
Jokic eventually took over, dominating the third quarter in MVP fashion.
Sengun had already shown a great deal. His play on the offensive end kept the game tight for a half, but it could be considered revealing for more than a look at offensive skills that were already clear.
In the sort of game Sengun would circle on a calendar, if people still have calendars and circle dates, Sengun rose to the occasion.
There will be plenty of other moments that get his blood pumping. And the quality that is most important is to play every game, or at least as many as possible, that way. But on a night against his hero, Sengun played with as much confidence and determination as he had two nights earlier against the Thunder.
Checking in at center …
There might have been a question about whether Fernando or Sengun would start. Fernando was the starter in the previous games both played. But when Sengun started, the question shifted to who would play next.
Usman Garuba played very well in his role in Fernando’s absence. Though Fernando is more of a pick-and-roll finisher, their roles are not unalike. Both set multiple screens per possession. Both can blitz pick-and-roll and even switch in some matchups (skills that will be more important later in the road trip). Both move the ball when catching on short rolls or an occasional dribble handoff.
Rockets coach Stephen Silas opted to keep his rotation as it has been, going with Garuba with the same second unit with K.J. Martin and Tari Eason as when Fernando was out.
Fernando did pick up a couple minutes to end the first half. But when it was a scheduled substitution, Fernando got the call.
In the second half, when Sengun seemed frustrated by a tough offensive foul call and a run of buckets from Jokic, Fernando checked in with 6:20 left in the third. He played the rest of the quarter before Garuba started the fourth.
Ball movement, again?
There have been times, lots of them, the Rockets seemed to look at ball movement like kids required to eat their vegetables. Lately, they have asked for seconds.
Still, it is a project. The Rockets have increasingly looked to move the ball not as a way out of trouble when the offense bogs down, but as their intention, as the way they actually want to play.
By halftime, the Rockets had 19 assists. They average 21.8 per game. Only three teams average fewer.
It did not last. After piling up assists with a manageable seven turnovers in the first half, they had two assists with seven turnovers in the third quarter.
They were run off the floor on the other end, but if there was a chance to score with the Nuggets the entire way, it ended when the ball movement did, too.