HOUSTON – Offensive answers are everywhere for the Houston Rockets. They put opposing defenses in difficult situations pretty much every night of the NBA season. On Friday at the Toyota Center, the Nuggets were the target.
Not much of what the Nuggets tried defensively was able to slow the Rockets down and Houston poured in 19 3-pointers on its way to a 130-104 victory. It didn’t help that when the Rockets did miss a shot – or even the Nuggets – Clint Capela was almost always there to grab the rebound.
Capela had 23 points and 25 rebounds in huge performance. And while the Rockets were busy scoring 57 points from the 3-point line, the Nuggets struggled to make shots from the arc. Three-day layoffs are good to rest beat-up and weary players, but the Nuggets were also scorching hot from the 3-point line before the break. They’d hit 10 or more 3-pointers in nine straight games prior to Friday night, and they’d nailed a season-high tying 18 their last time out.
But that shot was not falling at all for them against the Rockets. The Nuggets were 3-of-28 from the arc, despite getting some good looks. And without the offensive firepower to keep them in contact, the game quickly got away from them.
Their biggest deficit was 35 points in what was the first of a back-to-back that finishes in Phoenix on Saturday night.
The Nuggets were led in scoring by Trey Lyles, who had 24 points with seven rebounds and four assists. Nikola Jokic had 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Wilson Chandler finished with 11 points and four rebounds. Rookie Monte Morris added 10 points and six assists.
The Rockets were led by James Harden’s 28 points and 11 assists.
Christopher Dempsey: christopher.dempsey@altitude.tv and @chrisadempsey on Twitter