 and Russell Westbrook (load management) also returned after sitting out on Sunday in the 127-112 defeat.Houston pushed a small lead to a big advantage with a 19-3 run to start the fourth quarter. The Rockets were up by 17 when Harden scored five quick points, with a 3-pointer, to make it 118-96 with about 3 1/2 minutes left and end his night and that of most of Houston's starters.Nikola Jokic scored 21 points for the Nuggets, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.Westbrook had 28 points for his 11th straight games with 20 or more points, which is the longest streak by a Rockets player besides Harden since Yao Ming did it in 14 games in a row in 2006.The Nuggets used a 37-point third quarter to cut the lead to three entering the fourth, but the Rockets scored the first 12 points of the fourth to make it 104-89 with about 9 minutes left. Ben McLemore had two 3-pointers to power that spurt.Denver got its first points of the quarter on a 3 by Torrey Craig after that. Houston then scored the next seven points, capped by a 3 from Harden to stretch the lead to 111-92 midway through the period.The Rockets were up by 12 after a 3-pointer by Harden with about 7 minutes left in the third quarter. Jokic then scored four quick points to cut the lead to 78-70 midway through the quarter.Houston remained up by eight later in the third when Harden, who had six 3-pointers, made three free throws to push it to 86-75.The Rockets had pushed the lead to 10 with about 3 minutes left in the third before the Nuggets used an 11-4 run to cut the lead to 92-89 entering the fourth. Malik Beasley led the Nuggets in that stretch, scoring five points capped by a 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left.TIP-INSNuggets: Paul Millsap had 13 points and nine rebounds in his return after missing two games with a bruised left knee. ... Denver made 8 of 25 3-pointers. ... Monte Morris added 18 points off the bench.Rockets: Eric Gordon scored 12 points in his second game back after sitting out for about six weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery. ... Capela had 16 points and 10 rebounds after missing the last two games with his injury.UP NEXTNuggets: Visit Indiana on Friday night in the second game of a five-game trip.Rockets: Host 76ers on Friday night.)
Dec 30, 2019Given their absentee list, the Houston Rockets had modest expectations while playing the second game of a back-to-back at New Orleans on Sunday. And, to an extent, they matched them.Missing their top three scorers -- James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Clint Capela -- the Rockets still managed a lead in the fourth quarter before succumbing to the suddenly resurgent Pelicans 127-112.Houston will host the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday at Toyota Center with its roster still in flux.Westbrook should return after his absence Sunday was mandated by rest. Harden (toe) and Capela (heel) remained questionable Monday, but Houston did welcome back Eric Gordon against New Orleans. He scored 20 points over 22 minutes in his first action since mid-November knee surgery."I'm really proud of the way they played and how they played and how they attacked," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It was a lot closer game than the final score (indicated) but this was a learning space for me and the guys that played some significant minutes and played well." Harden is averaging 38.3 points and 7.5 assists. Westbrook is at 24.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, while Capela averages 13.9 points and 14.4 rebounds.With Gordon in the fold, the Rockets are a step closer to resetting their backcourt rotation, one that features ample depth and versatility. Harden, Westbrook and Gordon are the anchors, with Austin Rivers and Ben McLemore providing support as bench gunners. Without Gordon, the Rockets lacked the perimeter shooting and defense that often makes them whole."I just want to continue to build from this," Gordon said."I feel pretty good. Over the past year and a half, probably a year, I've been playing a little bit off-balance just fighting through a little nagging injury. I don't have to worry about that now." The Nuggets have been worry-free for most of this month, winning for the ninth time in 10 games Sunday against the Sacramento Kings -- and doing so without Gary Harris and Paul Millsap. Harris missed the game because of shin injury, while Millsap has been on the sideline for the past two games due to a knee injury.With depth as their ally, the Nuggets plugged Michael Porter Jr. and Jerami Grant into their starting lineup and kept rolling, with that duo totaling 37 points and eight rebounds."I was just wanting to blend with the starting group and do what I could on the court just to make their job easier and be a positive part of the team," Porter said of his first career start."We've got a really, really good team. There are a lot of really good players that are playing a lot of minutes right now. So you've just got to be thankful when you're in the game and just try to play as hard as you can because you've got dudes that can back you up if you're tripping." With much of the league focused on the Lakers-Clippers rivalry, Denver has quietly ascended to second in the West and remains a shining example of how to balance egos with a talent glut.Porter is just one of several players logging limited minutes because of the abundance of talent on hand."Sacrifice and selfless, easy things to talk about," Nuggets coach Mike Malone said. "Much harder to live every day." --Field Level Media
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