In Jamal Murray’s comeback from a hamstring injury, Nikola Jokic delivered a stellar performance with 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds. In comparison, Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 30 points, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 134-124 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
Murray, who had missed Denver’s past 11 games, contributed 16 points, revitalizing the Nuggets, who improved their record to 6-5 without him after starting 6-1 with him available.
His return fueled one of Denver’s best offensive performances of the season, marked by 19 made 3-pointers and an impressive 37 assists with only three turnovers.
"One of the security guards said, ‘Hey, great win tonight.’ I said it was a great outcome," Nuggets coach Michael Malone mentioned. "I wouldn’t call it a great win. It was a great outcome."
The victory marked the third consecutive win for the NBA champion Nuggets, who had previously lost four of five games.
Jokic, recovering from a lower back injury, achieved his seventh triple-double of the season, a feat that surpassed the combined total of triple-doubles by all other NBA players entering the night.
"This is pretty easy basketball when you’ve got someone that good with the floater but also that good at passing," said Porter, who also grabbed 10 rebounds and made seven of his 12 3-point attempts.
Despite two losses to the Rockets in November, including a 19-point defeat in Houston, the Nuggets dominated the game, showcasing their NBA-best home record of 9-0 while sending the Rockets to a winless 0-7 on the road.
Although Murray made a triumphant return, Denver missed forward Aaron Gordon, who was absent for the third consecutive game due to a strained right heel.
Welcomed with a roaring "He’s back!" from the public address announcer and a hearty ovation from the home crowd before tip-off, Murray experienced a minor scare early in the game as he injured his ankle. However, he returned to finish the game after playing 22 minutes, describing the ankle injury as "frustrating."
"The hamstring’s fine," Murray stated. "I’ve worked enough to get it back to strength. Now, it’s just another thing. I’ve got to work on that and hopefully, I’ll be ready."
Despite the initial scare, Denver maintained control throughout the night.
Led by 12 points from Porter, the Nuggets scored a season-high 41 points in the first quarter and led by as many as 19. Denver never trailed, holding a double-digit lead for all but the opening 4:16. The Rockets, playing the second night of a back-to-back after losing the Dallas Mavericks, struggled to catch up.
"We just woke up pretty late," Rockets guard Jalen Green said. "If we started off a little bit better, it would have been a different story."
Green led the Rockets with 26 points, showcasing an impressive performance with 18 points in the third quarter, making all six of his field goals and all four of his 3-pointers.
Alperen Şengün added 22 points for Houston, which suffered its fifth loss in seven games after a surprising 6-3 start.
The Rockets were without guard Fred VanVleet, the team’s third-leading scorer and $130 million offseason acquisition, who was sidelined with a sprained left thumb.