Green, Sengun lead Rockets to 105-86 victory over Nuggets in NBA's In-Season Tournament
HOUSTON (AP) Jalen Green scored 25 points, Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 14 rebounds and the Houston Rockets beat the slumping Denver Nuggets 105-86 on Friday night in the NBA's In-Season Tournament.
Houston improved to 2-1 in the tournament with a game left next week at Dallas. Denver completed group play 2-2. The defending champion Nuggets have lost five of seven after opening 8-1.
Nikola Jokic had a season-high 38 points along with 19 rebounds and eight assists for Denver. Aaron Gordon went 0 for 12 and had two points on a night the Nuggets shot 33.7%.
Houston coach Ime Udoka said the game plan was to make Jokic beat them.
“We guarded Jokic one-on-one and kept everybody else in check,” he said. “The focus was there to take the others out and in that sense it worked out well.”
The Rockets have won three in a row over the Nuggets, including both meetings this season, after dropping the previous 10.
“It’s an accomplishment,” Udoka said. “We’ll take it and learn from it and grow. It’s another win from the defending champions so that’s good.”
The Nuggets went 1-4 on this road trip that coach Michael Malone called “disappointing.” He said he was going to start trying different players in the rotation after Denver's bench scored just 10 points Friday.
“You've got to bring something to the party,” he said.
Houston was up by 15 entering the fourth quarter before the Nuggets scored the first six points of the quarter, capped by a 3 from Justin Holiday, to get to 84-75.
Sengun made a layup for the Rockets after that but was called for a foul on Jokic on the other end seconds later. Udoka was given a technical for arguing the call and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made the technical free throw before Jokic made one of two free throws to cut the lead to nine again.
But Green was fouled on a dunk on the next possession and finished the 3-point play. Fred VanVleet then swiped the ball from Reggie Jackson and passed to Green for an alley-oop dunk to bring the crowd to its feet and leave the Rockets up 91-77 with less than seven minutes left.
The Rockets improved to 8-1 at home with the win, but are 0-5 on the road.
“(The fans) are putting on for us, showing up," Green said. “We've just got to get a win on the road now. I think that's our biggest goal. So that's what we're focused on."
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Host San Antonio on Saturday night.
Rockets: Wrap up group play in the in-season tournament at Dallas on Tuesday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Nikola Jokic vs. Alperen Sengun (Reggie Jackson gains possession) | ||
| 11:37 |  | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point jump shot | 2-0 |
| 11:18 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point hook shot | ||
| 11:17 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 11:05 | | +3 | Nikola Jokic makes three point jump shot | 5-0 |
| 10:49 | | +3 | Fred VanVleet makes three point jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists) | 5-3 |
| 10:28 | | Reggie Jackson turnover (bad pass) (Jalen Green steals) | ||
| 10:23 | | +2 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes two point running dunk (Jalen Green assists) | 5-5 |
| 10:04 | | Aaron Gordon misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:04 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 9:52 | | +3 | Jalen Green makes three point pullup jump shot (Dillon Brooks assists) | 5-8 |
| 9:29 | | Reggie Jackson misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:28 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 9:21 | | +3 | Dillon Brooks makes three point jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists) | 5-11 |
| 9:00 | | Aaron Gordon misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 8:58 | | Nikola Jokic offensive rebound | ||
| 8:49 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:47 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 8:35 | | Fred VanVleet misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 8:34 | | Jabari Smith Jr. offensive rebound | ||
| 8:30 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point driving layup (Jabari Smith Jr. assists) | 5-13 |
| 8:06 | | Nikola Jokic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:04 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:52 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 7:51 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:43 | | Jabari Smith Jr. shooting foul (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope draws the foul) | ||
| 7:43 | | +1 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 6-13 |
| 7:43 | | +1 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-13 |
| 7:27 | | Fred VanVleet misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:26 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:05 | | Reggie Jackson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:04 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 6:58 | | Jalen Green turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 6:58 | | Rockets 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:39 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 6:25 | | Dillon Brooks misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:23 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 6:14 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 6:13 | | Nikola Jokic offensive rebound | ||
| 6:11 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point jump shot | 9-13 |
| 5:45 | | Alperen Sengun misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:45 | | Nuggets defensive rebound | ||
| 5:29 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 5:27 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 5:24 | | Nikola Jokic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:22 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 5:17 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point running layup | ||
| 5:15 | | Christian Braun defensive rebound | ||
| 5:11 | | Christian Braun misses two point running layup | ||
| 5:10 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 5:02 | | Jalen Green misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:01 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 4:51 | | +3 | Michael Porter Jr. makes three point stepback jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 12-13 |
| 4:28 | | Dillon Brooks misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:26 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope defensive rebound | ||
| 4:21 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:21 | | Nikola Jokic offensive rebound | ||
| 4:18 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point tip layup | ||
| 4:18 | | Nikola Jokic offensive rebound | ||
| 4:18 | | Dillon Brooks shooting foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 4:18 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 13-13 |
| 4:18 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 14-13 |
| 4:03 | | +2 | Jae'Sean Tate makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (Fred VanVleet assists) | 14-15 |
| 3:50 | | Alperen Sengun blocks Aaron Gordon's two point driving layup | ||
| 3:49 | | Aaron Gordon offensive rebound | ||
| 3:48 | | Aaron Gordon misses two point putback layup | ||
| 3:46 | | Aaron Gordon offensive rebound | ||
| 3:45 | | Aaron Holiday shooting foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 3:45 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 15-15 |
| 3:45 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 16-15 |
| 3:35 | | Michael Porter Jr. shooting foul (Fred VanVleet draws the foul) | ||
| 3:35 | | +1 | Fred VanVleet makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 16-16 |
| 3:35 | | +1 | Fred VanVleet makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 16-17 |
| 3:24 | | Nikola Jokic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:24 | | Peyton Watson offensive rebound | ||
| 3:20 | | Peyton Watson misses two point tip layup | ||
| 3:19 | | Tari Eason defensive rebound | ||
| 3:12 | | +2 | Fred VanVleet makes two point driving floating jump shot (Tari Eason assists) | 16-19 |
| 2:59 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point driving layup | 18-19 |
| 2:59 | | Alperen Sengun shooting foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 2:59 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:59 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 19-19 |
| 2:37 | | +2 | Aaron Holiday makes two point driving hook shot (Fred VanVleet assists) | 19-21 |
| 2:14 | | Nikola Jokic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:13 | | Tari Eason defensive rebound | ||
| 2:01 | | +3 | Aaron Holiday makes three point jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists) | 19-24 |
| 1:40 | | Reggie Jackson misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:39 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 1:26 | | +2 | Jae'Sean Tate makes two point layup | 19-26 |
| 1:08 | | Christian Braun misses two point driving layup | ||
| 1:07 | | Reggie Jackson offensive rebound | ||
| 1:02 | | Peyton Watson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:02 | | Jalen Green defensive rebound | ||
| 0:43 | | Peyton Watson blocks Jae'Sean Tate's two point driving layup | ||
| 0:42 | | Nuggets defensive rebound | ||
| 0:28 | | Jeff Green blocks Peyton Watson's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 0:27 | | Rockets defensive rebound | ||
| 0:13 | | +3 | Jalen Green makes three point stepback jump shot | 19-29 |
| 0:00 | | Reggie Jackson turnover (bad pass) (Jalen Green steals) | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:38 | | +2 | Fred VanVleet makes two point driving finger roll layup | 19-31 |
| 11:27 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 11:22 | | Jeff Green blocks Reggie Jackson's two point driving layup | ||
| 11:21 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 11:15 | | Aaron Gordon misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 11:13 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 11:08 | | Peyton Watson shooting foul (Jabari Smith Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 11:08 | | +1 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 19-32 |
| 11:08 | | +1 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 19-33 |
| 10:51 | | Reggie Jackson turnover (bad pass) (Tari Eason steals) | ||
| 10:44 | | Julian Strawther personal foul (Jabari Smith Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 10:30 | | Jeff Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:28 | | Nuggets defensive rebound | ||
| 10:12 | | Jeff Green blocks Aaron Gordon's two point layup | ||
| 10:11 | | Aaron Gordon offensive rebound | ||
| 10:08 | | Jae'Sean Tate blocks Aaron Gordon's two point layup | ||
| 10:06 | | Fred VanVleet defensive rebound | ||
| 10:00 | | +3 | Tari Eason makes three point jump shot (Fred VanVleet assists) | 19-36 |
| 9:58 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:39 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point jump shot | 21-36 |
| 9:18 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shooting foul (Alperen Sengun draws the foul) | ||
| 9:18 | | Alperen Sengun misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 9:18 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 9:18 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 21-37 |
| 9:02 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point jump shot | ||
| 9:01 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 8:53 | | +2 | Fred VanVleet makes two point pullup jump shot | 21-39 |
| 8:41 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:40 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 8:22 | | +2 | Tari Eason makes two point driving layup (Fred VanVleet assists) | 21-41 |
| 8:08 | | Collin Gillespie turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 7:51 | | Jeff Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:50 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:46 | | Nikola Jokic turnover (lost ball) (Alperen Sengun steals) | ||
| 7:43 | | +2 | Tari Eason makes two point layup | 21-43 |
| 7:28 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 7:28 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:22 | | Michael Porter Jr. blocks Fred VanVleet's two point running layup | ||
| 7:22 | | Tari Eason offensive rebound | ||
| 7:19 | | Tari Eason misses two point tip layup | ||
| 7:16 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 7:07 | | Michael Porter Jr. turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 6:54 | | Aaron Gordon shooting foul (Alperen Sengun draws the foul) | ||
| 6:54 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 21-44 |
| 6:54 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 21-45 |
| 6:43 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:41 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 6:31 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point cutting dunk (Fred VanVleet assists) | 21-47 |
| 6:30 | | Alperen Sengun technical foul (Rim hanging) | ||
| 6:30 | | +1 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 22-47 |
| 6:12 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:11 | | Fred VanVleet defensive rebound | ||
| 6:00 | | Jalen Green misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:59 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 5:43 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point jump shot | ||
| 5:42 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope offensive rebound | ||
| 5:41 | | +2 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes two point tip layup | 24-47 |
| 5:27 | | Jalen Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:26 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope defensive rebound | ||
| 5:17 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point driving floating jump shot (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope assists) | 26-47 |
| 5:00 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 4:58 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 4:47 | | Fred VanVleet blocks Aaron Gordon's two point driving layup | ||
| 4:46 | | Jalen Green defensive rebound | ||
| 4:35 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point driving finger roll layup (Alperen Sengun assists) | 26-49 |
| 4:29 | | Dillon Brooks shooting foul (Aaron Gordon draws the foul) | ||
| 4:29 | | Rockets 60 second timeout | ||
| 4:29 | | +1 | Aaron Gordon makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 27-49 |
| 4:29 | | +1 | Aaron Gordon makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-49 |
| 4:12 | | +2 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes two point pullup jump shot | 28-51 |
| 3:52 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point driving reverse layup | 30-51 |
| 3:35 | | Dillon Brooks misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 3:34 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 3:29 | | +2 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes two point running finger roll layup (Nikola Jokic assists) | 32-51 |
| 3:18 | | +3 | Dillon Brooks makes three point jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists) | 32-54 |
| 3:00 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope turnover (bad pass) (Jabari Smith Jr. steals) | ||
| 2:56 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point running dunk (Dillon Brooks assists) | 32-56 |
| 2:36 | | Nikola Jokic turnover (lost ball) (Aaron Holiday steals) | ||
| 2:29 | | Alperen Sengun turnover (lost ball) (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope steals) | ||
| 2:22 | | Dillon Brooks personal foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 2:14 | | +2 | Michael Porter Jr. makes two point pullup jump shot | 34-56 |
| 1:51 |