ROCKETS at NUGGETS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | March 11, 2026

We welcome you to Denver, Colorado Ball Arena. Getting ready for a big time Western Conference matchup. The Rockets and the Nuggets as we welcome you to NBA Wednesday. Presented by State Farm. Taking a look at the Western Conference standings. And this is a big game. If the playoffs were to start today, Houston and Denver would face off against each other. A game and a half separates them, 3rd and 6th. Mentum, Centauri, Eason, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperin Shangoon for the Rockets. Jamal Murray, Christian Brown, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikoli Jokic for the Nuggets. This is just the 13th game this season that Denver has had that starting five. Here is Eason trapped. Denver crowd here stands until their first bucket. Shangoon able to finish with the left hand. Bodying in, spinning away, and dropping it home. Yeah, he went into the middle. He saw the traffic coming right. Here's Durant. Brown up into him. Durant able to hit. Had a huge start to last night's game, a win against Toronto for the Rockets. The tiebreaker implications here with Denver having won two of the first three meetings this season. Here is Smith firing away and burying the three. Going for that right to the lap of Jokic. Cam Johnson bounces underneath. Good decision as Brown got three. Didn't miss any time after his ankle turn. Here's Jokic drawing two, kicking out. Johnson connects on a three. And that's what they're trying to do. We haven't really seen the format yet. Trying to create a nice pocket for his quarterback, as that quarterback delivers beautifully to Murray. Let's see. 13 consecutive years, over 50% in the field. For a guy that shoots a bunch of contested mid-range jumpers, that's Jamal Murray. It was all right. Eason a little too strong. Follows it up. Here's Jabari Smith elevating and pouring it in. Murray firing. And it's hitting. Yes. But now he comes back. It's obviously not going to be the same runway for him, but he's very important to them. David Adleman has to work all of that out as Denver knocks down another three. Nuggets have made six of their last seven shots after starting one of five. Smith elevates and hits. Able to fingertip the rebound. Here comes Durant. Durant muscling through and dropping it home. They were just tweaking the shot clock because they said Jokic had possession before Houston got it back. Here's Murray in that two-man action with Jokic. Murray splash. Maybe you get something easy, but you get the defense moving. That allows Jamal Murray to go to work because the guys are always involved on offside action. Smith again. DraftKings is the number one sportsbook for live betting. Use promo code SPLASH when you sign up. Here's Jokic, able to hit that jumper. He said with the wrist, he just can't quite finish his shot all the way. He said he's not using that excuse, but I know it's frustrating for him. And I think the turnovers also. He had shot at 44% from three before the knee injury, 32% since his return. Okogie rims out. Jokic, the rebound, the fling ahead. Brown leaking out. Thank you, Katie. You know, Katie mentioned the physicality. We asked him before the game, what has been the difference for you guys in wins and losses more than anything else, when you're going right and when you're not? And he said it really comes down to, what, 69%? And 0 for 4 to start. Hard away. Splash on the three. What a year. What an addition. He's been doing that throughout his career, but man, has he found a comfort level here in Denver. Reed Shepard with the answer. Last year, this season, first game of the year, but how much he's improved throughout this season has been impressive. Hard away, flying to the cup, lays it in. Well, to your point, Richard, it's just low volume. Reed Shepard answers a lot of that by himself most nights. Smith comes up with a steal, gets it ahead to Eason. Running with Thompson. Eason soars in for the finish. Smith has been aggressive offensively early. Thompson, through the body, able to finish, plus the foul from Ed Thompson, who's been on a nice run of late. A chance for three. That was the second foul on Valanchunas, as Murray can't hit. The ramp back in for Houston. Thompson, good lead feed to Shengun for the flush. Cam Johnson, off to Valanchunas. Spencer Jones gives it back. Nice decision there. That's helped his flow. He played his best basketball when he was given that second unit. Now, you're not able to do it as much with Jamal, but when he's on the floor, putting the ball in his hand. Yeah, Richard, that was something that David Adelman was highlighting for us. The way he, Johnson played off the bench when he was given that second unit. Murray with 11. Hardaway has eight off the bench. Shengun. Buried Valanchunas under the cup. Valanchunas with his left, but I guess he just wanted to make sure by getting back to that right hand, a little jump hook. Here's Johnson, nuzzling in and finishing. Rockets have made their last five shots. The ramp, pocket pass. Shengun perfectly executed. So good right there when they run that action, and particularly when you put Thompson down there on the bench. Houston trying to tie it up at two apiece. That's how Johnson comes up, knocks it away from Shengun. Here's Bruce Brown, thought better of it. Jones slicing in. Look, you're just not going to get that many opportunities here. If you get a few, you better be able to make one or two of them. Murray, another middie. That's what it looked like. Yeah, it was a little bit less. Get a little fertilizer in that area. Yeah, it was red, that's why. Oh, able to squeeze it in. Okogie put a little English on it. Nice finish through a much bigger defender in Jokic. Here's Brown, back to Jokic. Little runner. Gets the roll for Nicole Jokic. Always would yell it quicker on third down. Here's Duran. Finding the cutter, Okogie. Nice decision, and Thompson lays it in. It's a heck of a pass from Josh Okogie. Okogie getting the call tonight and has played well. A couple of baskets and been involved in some plays like that right there. The interior passing. Second assist now. Picked up the dribble. Brown to the cup. Caresses it home. Shingun giving space. Short on a three. Hardaway springs it ahead. Two on one. Johnson lays it in. And Ime Udoku will take a timeout. You were looking forward to that one, were you? Yeah. Kings have won a couple games in a row. Knocked away. Brown and Jokic. Here's Brown. Swing and in. 1.35 to go here in the first half. Jokic off the steal. Lumbering ahead. Oh, what a look. Brown lays it in on a gorgeous touch pass from the three-time MVP. Hardaway battling on the glass. Smith wins it. Thompson has choices. Capella is the option. Durant. Double. Finds Eason. Center of the lane. Houston been doing all of their work in the paint. That's 40 paint points in this first half. And I think that the late blitz confused the backside of the defense. Brown splash. Now we know San Antonio has had an incredible year, and they've clearly emerged as a title threat. But I do think there's enough time, enough talent, enough depth. Yeah, Will probably had some in there, but those predated going to steal some blocks. He's got to inject himself into this game offensively. Well, there he does with a nice dish to Eason in transition. Meanwhile, Denver wanted basket interference. Durant. Can't hit the three. Shangoon and Murray after it. Shangoon emerges and Durant, there you go, Tim, gets an easy one. Pocket pass. Thompson loses it. Shangoon. What a block from Aaron Gould. Here's Yoker running, kicking. Johnson hitting a three. Flared out to the opposite corner because he knows Yoker's first look when he got that return pass from Brown. Johnson shovels. Yoker lays it in. Here's Thompson. Settling with Shangoon. Eason can't hit the three after a hot start to the season. He's been called. Brown, Murray for the slam. Murray with 16 to lead the way for the Nuggets. Johnson again. Cam Johnson starting to find his stroke. It's important for them. He's played really well tonight. He looks confident. His rhythm's better. You cannot overstate the importance of Cam Johnson to their offense. Oh, not at all. 12 points, four rebounds, four assists for Ahmed Thompson. Yoker lays it in. Plus the foul. Those were some of the sort of ten-pole players of what has been the Rockets' identity over the last couple seasons. Smith, baseline jumper is good. Durant with just nine thus far. That's just seven field goal attempts. Throws it away. Johnson, another steal. Brown lobbing it up. Shangoon tips, but Murray there to collect the trash. They have 12 now for the game. They were a little sloppy the first three quarters last night before cleaning it up in the fourth. Right arm three, and he's finally able to knock down a shot. Rarries the three. Jokic gives it back. Johnson, extra feed. Brown. Good sign for Denver. Here's Spencer Jones. Oh, Spencer Jones, look out. Hard landing after he didn't get to the apex. And Reed Shepard turns it into two on the other end. Denver will be in San Antonio tomorrow night. Talk about a tough back-to-back. Thompson banks it in. To go right at the defense, jump in the air, figure out what you're going to do later. I can imagine it. I guess I was really saying, I can't. For the game, they're 9 of 19 from three. Accurate with modest attempts. Thompson, that time won't drop. Gets it back and clutches it down. They've lost 7 of 10 in the clutch. Clutches it down off to Spencer Jones. 16-12-12. Hardaway. He got it. 96-69. This is a guy Tim Hardaway Jr. has been knocking down for a long time in this league. But you know, he's never had a year in which he was over 40% for the season. He's always right below it. 38-39. He threes the other day off the bench in that game against OKC. The first Nugget to do that since J.R. Smith in 2011. Here's Crawford euroing in and laying it home. And Hardaway, a huge game changer for that. And they bring Bruce Brown back. Yes. Good balance to this. Yes. Their depth of veteran guys that I felt like they could count on. Fair point. Houston is 2 for 10 from the line in this game. 25th in the NBA in free throw percentage on the season. What he's done, he's been the most consistent performer. You know, when healthy. It's been impressive to watch his growth. Recent stretch, last six games entering this one. 28 points per, 48 from the floor, 48 from three, and a whole lot of that from Jamal Murray. A 30-point night. I want all the data, Ryan. Yeah, I understand. I've got to see all the data and watch these guys and see who's going to sprint through the wire. Brown left it short. Good contest by Capella, but then 37%. They just don't take a lot of attempts. Only Sacramento takes fewer. Murray short on that one. Valanciunas gobbling it up. You know him well. You were his teammate. What do you say? Made the right decision. Brown connects. Now you have to at least acknowledge that threat. That threat wasn't there. It did not open up lanes for Kevin Durant tonight. Akogi banks it in amongst just two teams. Orlando's done it twice. Dallas has done it three times. Valanciunas sheds and slams. The three was the number. If you had asked me, I would have said probably five or six. Somebody hit three. There's the third for Akogi. With the fewest, 30 and a half. So, yeah, I mean, you've got to have a really rough night to be going two for 30 as Valanciunas. It was fun to watch. It was impressive. Congratulations to Bam out of Bayou on the Miami Heat. Jones banks it in. Busts him down. North of 80 points. And yet here he was, you know, able to finish that off. And so, you know, that top tier of all-time individual scoring games. Houston could use some iron because this game went from bad to worse. There you go. Clint Capella with some action. Ryan Rugo, Tim Legler, Richard Jefferson, Katie George with you. And Strother. There's another guy who wasn't a part of the rotation tonight. Nikoli Jokic with a triple-double, 16 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists. Fourth different season he's had at least 25 triple-doubles. Against Houston, could be big in tiebreakers. An authoritative victory tonight for the Denver Nuggets. It's 129-93.