The Nuggets pulled away from Houston in Monday’s second half, leading to a 129-113 Denver victory (box score), but it was a valuable learning experience for second-year Rockets center Alperen Sengun versus back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
Sengun had a team-high 18 points (50% FG) and 7 rebounds in 23 minutes, with most of Houston’s regulars not returning to the game in the fourth quarter due to a lopsided score. On the other side, Jokic showed his MVP chops with 32 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists in just 27 minutes, shooting 11-of-17 (64.7%) from the field.
