Rockets Beat Nuggets 110-100: Durant and Sengun Post Twin 20-Point Double-Doubles as Houston Moves to 8-3
The two-game slide is over. Durant's season highs on the glass and as a passer, matched almost line for line by Sengun, carried Houston past Jokic, Murray and Denver on Monday night.
Houston snapped its two-game losing streak Monday night with a 110-100 victory over the Denver Nuggets, improving to 8-3 on the season while Denver fell to 5-4, Rockets Wire reported.
Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun worked the two-man game all night and finished with nearly identical lines. Durant had 23 points with season highs of 12 rebounds and 8 assists, making all 10 of his free throws, while Sengun added 20 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists on 9-of-17 shooting. Sengun said postgame that Durant was aggressive from the beginning - not chasing 40 points, but creating eight assists as Denver blitzed and double-teamed him after an 11-point first quarter.
The supporting numbers told the same story. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 14, Fred VanVleet and Tari Eason added 12 apiece, and Houston won the rebounding battle 51-39 with 15 offensive boards, turning them into a decisive 24-11 advantage in second-chance points. Denver's Jamal Murray scored 38 and Nikola Jokic posted 25 points, 16 rebounds and 9 assists in the loss.
Next up is a measuring-stick game at the Toyota Center: Golden State visits Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. Central on ESPN and Space City Home Network, entering with a matching 8-3 record and an eight-game winning streak.
