December 16th - The Denver Nuggets narrowly defeated the Houston Rockets 128-125 . Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double with 39 points , 15 rebounds , and 10 assists; for the Rockets, Shen Jing also delivered an impressive performance with 33 points , 10 rebounds , and 10 assists, but it wasn't enough to secure the victory.

At the start of the game, the Nuggets got off to a strong start, but the Rockets quickly rallied, going on an offensive surge led by Shen Jing, and taking a 30-24 lead in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Nuggets gradually found their rhythm, closing the gap under the leadership of Jokic and Murray, and eventually taking the lead. At halftime, the Nuggets led 58-51 .

After switching sides, the Rockets successfully erased the deficit and even took the lead at one point. In the crucial moments, Jokic combined inside and outside scoring to help the Nuggets stabilize the situation. After three quarters, the Nuggets maintained a slight lead of 89-86 . In the final quarter, Jokic and Shen Jing both led their teams to keep the score close in crucial moments. With the two teams tied at 117-117 in the final stages of regulation, the game went into overtime.

In overtime, the Nuggets played more consistently, with Murray providing offensive firepower and Jokic dominating both ends of the court. Ultimately, the Nuggets defeated the Rockets 128-125 .

Rockets player statistics

Shen Jing had 33 points , 10 rebounds , and 10 assists; Durant had 25 points , 5 rebounds , and 7 assists ; Okogie had 16 points and 4 rebounds ; Smith had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists; Thompson had 14 points , 12 rebounds , and 6 assists; Sheppard had 14 points , 3 rebounds , and 1 assist; Adams had 3 points; Holiday had 3 points and 1 assist; Capela had 1 point and 2 rebounds .

Nuggets player statistics

Jokic 39 points , 15 rebounds , 10 assists; Murray 35 points , 3 rebounds , 5 assists; Johnson 13 points , 3 rebounds, 2 assists; Hardaway 13 points, 1 rebound , 2 assists; Jones 11 points , 3 rebounds; Valanciunas 8 points , 3 rebounds , 1 assist; Watson 5 points; Brown 2 points , 9 rebounds, 4 assists; Nagy 2 points , 1 rebound.