 Isaiah Rider and backcourt mate Nick Van Exel won their anticipated backcourt duel. William R. Sallaz/NBAE/Getty Images 56k | 300k |
Van Exel scored 13 points in the first quarter and added 10 in the third, when Denver outscored Houston, 37-16. The veteran guard shot 12-of-21 from the field and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line in 40 minutes.
"Nick got really hot and we couldn't stop him," Houston forward Kenny Thomas said. "And Isaiah got his points, too."
"Van Exel and Rider were in the zone," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich added.
Rider, who had 18 points in the first half, shot 12-of-19 from the floor and 4-of-7 from the line while pulling down 10 rebounds. Normally a distraction, he has provided a nice scoring punch for the Nuggets.
"It feels good to get an opportunity to play," Rider said. "For me, that's what it's all about. My plea is to just get more minutes. I don't have to start, I just want to get as many minutes as I can."
Thomas led Houston with 24 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 10-of-13 from the line.
"I got out there early and it felt really good," Thomas said. "It didn't feel different from any other game, but I took my shots and they went in."
The Rockets were seeking their first five-game winning streak since April 5-13, 2000.
The Nuggets trailed 44-43 with 2:48 left in the second when Steve Francis hit a pair of free throws. Francis scored just seven points on 1-of-5 shooting from the floor but was perfect on all five shots from the line.
James Posey gave Denver the lead for good 18 seconds later when he hit a 19-foot jumper from the right sideline.
Rider followed with a layup and a free throw before Posey, who finished with six points, hit a jumper from the left sideline. Francis added a field goal to bring Houston within 50-46 at the half.
It was the closest Houston got as Denver opened the third quarter with a 13-4 run. Rider closed the spurt with two free throws, making it 63-50, and gave the Nuggets their biggest lead of the quarter, 87-62, with 17 seconds remaining.
"It all came together tonight, especially in the third quarter," Denver coach Dan Issel said. "We shot well, we limited them to one shot on defense and took them out of their offense."
Van Exel gave the Nuggets their biggest lead of the game, 95-68, with 7:10 left as he hit one of his two 3-pointers from the right side.
It was the largest margin of victory for Denver since a 122-88 win over the Golden State Warriors on March 3, 2000.
"We didn't stand around and watch," Nuggets guard Avery Johnson said. "Everyone got involved and took advantage of mismatches."
Johnson scored 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting.