The Rockets won their fifth straight, getting 34 points from Jalen Green in a 128-108 rout of the Nuggets, who played without Nikola Jokic
Jalen Green scored 34 points, Alperen Sengun had 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and the surging Houston Rockets rolled past the short-handed Denver Nuggets 128-108 on Wednesday night.
Green, who hit six 3-pointers, continued his recent scoring surge. He is averaging 32 points in Houston's last six games, including a career-best 42 against Memphis on Monday.
Fred VanVleet added 16 points, eight assists and three steals for the Rockets, who have won five straight and 10 of their last 13 games. They also beat Denver for the fifth time in six meetings.
The Nuggets were without two of their five leading scorers in reigning league MVP Nikola Jokić (right elbow inflammation) and Aaron Gordon (right calf injury).
Jamal Murray and Christian Braun each scored 22 points for Denver, which had 18 turnovers in the loss, including five apiece from its starting backcourt of Murray and Russell Westbrook.
Denver, which had won eight of its previous 10 games, absorbed its most lopsided defeat since a 145-118 loss to the New York Knicks on Nov. 25.
Houston opened the second quarter on an 8-2 run that was capped by a corner 3 by former Nugget Jeff Green that stretched the Rockets' lead to 11 points. Houston outscored Denver 41-25 in the period to take a 69-48 lead into halftime.
The loss was Denver’s eighth in 20 home games this season, matching the Nuggets’ home loss total across 41 regular-season games in 2023-24.
Clippers rout Nets for franchise record
Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points, James Harden added 21 and the Los Angeles Clippers had the largest margin of victory in franchise history, routing the Brooklyn Nets 126-67.
The Clippers broke the team margin mark of 50 against Oklahoma City on April 10, 2022. It also was the worst loss in Nets' history, eclipsing a 52-point defeat to Houston on Oct. 18, 1978.
LA's largest lead was 64 points midway through the fourth quarter, despite coach Tyronn Lue emptying his bench late in the third quarter.
Leonard logged a season-high 24 minutes as he took part in his fourth game since coming back from a knee injury.
Jalen Wilson led the Nets with 16 points and Day’Ron Sharpe had 12. Brooklyn has dropped five of six.
Nico Powell added 18 points for the Clippers, who led 58-35 at halftime before opening the third quarter by scoring the first 13 points en route to a 29-3 run. At the end of the quarter, LA had a 102-51 advantage.
Knicks dominate overtime, beat 76ers
Jalen Brunson scored 16 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Josh Hart had the 11th triple-double of his career as the New York Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 125-119.
Hart had 10 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, Mikal Bridges scored 23 points and OG Anunoby added 17 as the Knicks won a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff series.
Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 33 points. Paul George had 26, and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 16 and 10 rebounds.
Both teams played without their All-Star centres. Joel Embiid (left foot sprain) was ruled out for the sixth straight game. New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns missed the game with a right thumb sprain.
The Sixers had won 10 of 13 games starting in late November, but they’ve since lost seven of nine, including four of their five home games in 2025. They remain stuck on 10 games this season in which Embiid, Maxey and George have started together.
After missing a chance to win the game at the buzzer, the Knicks scored the first eight points in overtime. Anunoby swooped in for a dunk, then Brunson added the next six on a 3-pointer and three free throws.
Two more free throws from Brunson with 2:14 remaining made it 119-111.