HOUSTON — Nikola Jokic wandered over to his chair on the visiting bench and tossed his towel down in frustration.
It was at that moment, with 5:33 remaining in the fourth quarter and Denver facing a 15-point deficit, that the Nuggets threw in the towel as well. A full five-man sub trickled in to play out the rest of Tuesday’s ugly, dispiriting effort against Houston. The final score, 124-103, got marginally worse against Denver’s reserves.
With a chance to clinch the first-ever No. 1 seed in their NBA history, the Nuggets fell flat on their face. The magic number remained at one, with another chance to seal it on Thursday in Phoenix. But another showing like Tuesday’s won’t work.
Jokic was responsible for eight of Denver’s 20 turnovers. Collectively, they yielded 25 points in Houston’s favor.
The Nuggets also couldn’t keep the Rockets off the boards. Houston ended the night with 22 second-chance points off 20 offensive rebounds.
Adding insult to injury, Jamal Murray left the game midway through the first half with a right thumb sprain and never returned. Perhaps his absence extinguished the fire Denver needed.
Michael Porter Jr. finished with a team-high 23 points, while Jokic added just 14 in 25 minutes, playing in his first game after missing three straight with a calf injury.
Jalen Green poured in 32 points to lead Houston’s upset. The Nuggets fell to 52-27 on the season with just three games left in the regular season.
The Nuggets spent the entire third quarter breathing life into the lowly Rockets. Whether it was with egregious turnovers (seven of them in the quarter alone), or an inability to defensive rebound, the Rockets looked like the hungrier team and not one bound for the NBA draft lottery. Denver’s lack of size, with a reserve frontcourt of Jeff Green and Peyton Watson paired with Aaron Gordon, was glaring. By the end of the third quarter, the Rockets already had 18 second-chance points.
Offensively, Porter was their lifeline. He knocked down three 3-pointers, and Gordon dumped in seven points to keep it tight heading into the fourth quarter. Still, Houston’s 86-85 lead heading into the fourth quarter was disconcerting on a number of levels.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone was adamant that Jokic’s recent absence was because of a legitimate calf injury and not fatigue.
“This has not been about rest,” Malone said before the game. “… Obviously the more he has rested it, the better it’s gotten. So he feels really confident and speaking with him today that it’s in a place where he can go out there and play. First sign of any kind of trouble or tightness obviously will be very mindful of that and make the right decision, but we’ll be smart within these last four games.
“But also, it’s not just about rest. We haven’t had our group together. I’d like to get our group together for extended minutes while also being smart. So that delicate balance.”
As the Nuggets entered halftime up just 59-56, Malone couldn’t even watch Houston’s final possession. He was disgusted with his team’s lack of aggressiveness on the glass and frustrated at the Rockets’ nine offensive rebounds.
Furthermore, as much as he wanted his group to re-establish cohesion heading into the playoffs, Murray’s thumb sprain undermined that effort. In between the first and second quarters, Murray stood outside the team huddle with a bag of ice on his right hand.
Jokic was aggressive in his return. He hunted for his shots in the paint, often leaving Turkish big man Alperen Sengun in his wake. He had 12 points at the break to pace Denver, while Porter added 11 on three 3-pointers.
Malone didn’t seem overly concerned with Zeke Nnaji’s knee sprain, but it was enough to give Watson minutes yet again. The spry rookie flew all over the floor, doing damage in transition and at the rim.
DeAndre Jordan also played spot minutes as the Nuggets were careful not to overextend Jokic. When he buried a baseline jumper as the shot clock expired, the entire bench stood up. Among them, Jokic waved his towel like he was the reserve and Jordan was the reigning two-time MVP.
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