Game ID: 22401035
Denver Nuggets @ Houston Rockets
Sunday, March 23, 2025 at 7:00 PM ET
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
HOU 27 30 22 32 111DEN 27 30 39 20 116
DEN @ HOU ScoutingDEN @ HOU Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
HOU availability going into 3/15 · back-to-backOUT Thompson missed 3 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 6 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Sheppard missed 4 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK VanVleet back 3/12 after 5, 26 min since (74% of 36)
BACK Landale back 3/08 after 2, 10 min since (86% of 12)
HOU availability going into 3/17 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 4 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 7 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Sheppard missed 5 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK VanVleet back 3/12 after 5, 29 min since (82% of 36)
BACK Landale back 3/08 after 2, 10 min since (86% of 12)
HOU availability going into 3/19 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 5 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 2 since 3/15, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 8 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Sheppard missed 6 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK VanVleet back 3/12 after 5, 31 min since (88% of 36)
NEW Eason 24 to 32 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 3/21 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 6 since 3/10, returns tonight: 34 min (107% of 32)
OUT Whitmore missed 3 since 3/15, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 9 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Sheppard missed 7 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK VanVleet back 3/12 after 5, 32 min since (90% of 36)
NEW Green 33 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Eason 24 to 32 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 3/23 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 4 since 3/15, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 10 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Sheppard missed 8 since 3/08, out tonight
OUT Landale missed 2 since 3/19, out tonight
OUT Tate missed 2 since 3/19, out tonight
BACK Thompson back 3/21 after 6, 34 min since (107% of 32)
NEW Eason 24 to 32 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 3/25 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 5 since 3/15, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 11 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Holiday missed 2 since 3/21, returns tonight: 10 min (81% of 13)
OUT Sheppard missed 9 since 3/08, out tonight
OUT Landale missed 3 since 3/19, out tonight
OUT Jef. Green missed 2 since 3/21, out tonight
OUT Tate missed 3 since 3/19, out tonight
BACK Thompson back 3/21 after 6, 33 min since (103% of 32)
HOU availability going into 3/27 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 6 since 3/15, out tonight
OUT Dante missed 12 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Sheppard missed 10 since 3/08, out tonight
OUT Landale missed 4 since 3/19, returns tonight: 14 min (115% of 12)
OUT Jef. Green missed 3 since 3/21, out tonight
OUT Tate missed 4 since 3/19, out tonight
BACK Thompson back 3/21 after 6, 33 min since (103% of 32)
BACK Holiday back 3/25 after 2, 10 min since (81% of 13)
NEW Green 33 to 38 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/30 · 2 days' restOUT Whitmore missed 7 since 3/15, returns tonight: 13 min (83% of 15)
OUT Dante missed 13 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Sheppard missed 11 since 3/08, returns tonight: 12 min (99% of 12)
OUT Jef. Green missed 4 since 3/21, returns tonight: 10 min (84% of 12)
OUT Tate missed 5 since 3/19, returns tonight: 13 min (113% of 11)
BACK Thompson back 3/21 after 6, 32 min since (98% of 32)
BACK Holiday back 3/25 after 2, 11 min since (90% of 13)
BACK Landale back 3/27 after 4, 14 min since (115% of 12)
NEW Adams 15 to 23 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 3/31 · back-to-backOUT Dante missed 14 since 3/04, out tonight
BACK Thompson back 3/21 after 6, 30 min since (92% of 32)
BACK Whitmore back 3/30 after 7, 13 min since (83% of 15)
BACK Holiday back 3/25 after 2, 14 min since (115% of 13)
BACK Sheppard back 3/30 after 11, 12 min since (99% of 12)
BACK Landale back 3/27 after 4, 15 min since (126% of 12)
BACK Jef. Green back 3/30 after 4, 10 min since (84% of 12)
BACK Tate back 3/30 after 5, 13 min since (113% of 11)
NEW Adams 15 to 20 min over the last 4
DEN availability going into 3/15 · back-to-backOUT Strawther missed 6 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Šarić missed 7 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 6 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 3/07 after 3, 26 min since (85% of 30)
DEN availability going into 3/17 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 7 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Šarić missed 8 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 7 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 3/14 after 2, 32 min since (104% of 30)
NEW Westbrook 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Nnaji 10 to 16 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 3/19 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 8 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Šarić missed 9 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 8 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 3/14 after 2, 34 min since (113% of 30)
NEW Westbrook 27 to 35 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 3/21 · 1 day's restOUT Jokić missed 2 since 3/17, out tonight
OUT Murray missed 2 since 3/17, returns tonight: 35 min (95% of 37)
OUT Strawther missed 9 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Šarić missed 10 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 9 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 3/14 after 2, 33 min since (109% of 30)
NEW Westbrook 27 to 34 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 3/23 · 1 day's restOUT Jokić missed 3 since 3/17, out tonight
OUT Strawther missed 10 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Šarić missed 11 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 10 since 3/05, returns tonight: 38 min (334% of 12)
BACK Murray back 3/21 after 2, 35 min since (95% of 37)
BACK Gordon back 3/14 after 2, 33 min since (108% of 30)
NEW Westbrook 27 to 33 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 3/24 · back-to-backOUT Jokić missed 4 since 3/17, out tonight
OUT Strawther missed 11 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Šarić missed 12 since 3/02, out tonight
BACK Murray back 3/21 after 2, 37 min since (99% of 37)
BACK Jordan back 3/23 after 10, 38 min since (334% of 12)
NEW Westbrook 27 to 32 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 3/26 · 1 day's restOUT Jokić missed 5 since 3/17, returns tonight: 38 min (102% of 37)
OUT Strawther missed 12 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Šarić missed 13 since 3/02, out tonight
BACK Murray back 3/21 after 2, 35 min since (95% of 37)
BACK Jordan back 3/23 after 10, 35 min since (301% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 30 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 3/28 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 13 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Šarić missed 14 since 3/02, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 3/26 after 5, 38 min since (102% of 37)
BACK Murray back 3/21 after 2, 36 min since (96% of 37)
BACK Jordan back 3/23 after 10, 24 min since (210% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 29 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 4/01 · 3 days' restOUT Strawther missed 14 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Šarić missed 15 since 3/02, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 3/26 after 5, 35 min since (93% of 37)
BACK Murray back 3/21 after 2, 36 min since (96% of 37)
BACK Jordan back 3/23 after 10, 21 min since (183% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 30 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Green at 23 and Eason at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 18 a night. Without Whitmore (4 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 121, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Gordon at 26 and Murray at 20 a game. Without Jokić (3 straight), Strawther (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-18 a night and Denver plus-1 and the defense, Houston allowing 111 a night to Denver's 121. Call it Houston 120, Denver 113.
3/15 vs CHI 117-114 — HOU notes
HOU won 117-114. HOU shot 45% (44 of 98) to CHI's 46%, 14 of 44 from three, and went to the line 26 times to CHI's 16 — 15 points from the stripe to their 14. The glass went 54-36 for them. Ja. Green led with 28 (11 of 25, 5 of 13 from three); Sengun added 24, VanVleet 23. The hinge was Q3, 25-18: HOU came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 2. HOU trailed 60-65 at the half and won the second half 57-49. Sengun was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
3/17 vs PHI 144-137 — HOU notes
HOU won 144-137 in 1 overtime. HOU shot 48% (51 of 107) to PHI's 51%, 22 of 53 from three. The glass went 58-35 for them. Green led with 30 (10 of 26, 5 of 17 from three); Smith Jr. added 30, Brooks 25. The hinge was Q3, 45-24: HOU came in trailing by 21 and left it level. HOU trailed 57-78 at the half and won the second half 87-59. Tate was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
3/19 @ ORL 116-108 — HOU notes
HOU won 116-108. HOU shot 47% (38 of 81) to ORL's 45%, 11 of 35 from three, and went to the line 32 times to ORL's 20 — 29 points from the stripe to their 17. J. Green led with 26 (8 of 18, 3 of 11 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Sengun added 22, VanVleet 19. The hinge was Q3, 32-20: a lead of 4 became 16. Adams was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
3/21 @ MIA 102-98 — HOU notes
HOU won 102-98. HOU shot 46% (39 of 84) to MIA's 52%, 14 of 28 from three, and went to the line 21 times to MIA's 14 — 10 points from the stripe to their 12. HOU turned it over 15 times to MIA's 20. The glass went 46-34 for them. VanVleet led with 37 (13 of 17, 9 of 11 from three); Thompson added 18, Brooks 11. The hinge was Q3, 27-21: the deficit went from 8 to 2. HOU trailed 51-59 at the half and won the second half 51-39. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
3/23 vs DEN 111-116 — HOU notes
HOU lost 111-116. HOU shot 44% (39 of 89) to DEN's 51%, 11 of 34 from three, and went to the line 34 times to DEN's 26 — 22 points from the stripe to their 18. Green led with 30 (8 of 22, 3 of 12 from three, 11 of 14 at the line); Brooks added 21, Sengun 17. Q4 was theirs, 32-20, the deficit cut from 17 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 96-79 against them.
3/25 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Green at 24 and VanVleet at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Whitmore (5 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Young at 26 and Okongwu at 18 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Johnson (27 straight), Capela (6 straight), Mathews (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-12 a night and Atlanta plus-4 and the line, where Houston takes 27 free throws a game to Atlanta's 19. Call it Houston 118, Atlanta 114, Atlanta keeping it close.
3/27 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 121, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Sexton at 18 and George at 14 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Collins (7 straight), Potter (2 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 28 free throws a game; Green at 25 and VanVleet at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Whitmore (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-10 a night and Utah minus-6 and the line, where Houston takes 28 free throws a game to Utah's 18. Call it Houston 117, Utah 111.
3/30 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 16 free throws a game; Durant at 32 and Booker at 20 a game. Without Beal (6 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Green at 23 and Sengun at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Whitmore (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where Houston takes 27 free throws a game to Phoenix's 16 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-9 a night and Phoenix plus-1. Call it Houston 114, Phoenix 113, Phoenix keeping it close.
3/31 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 126, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and Reaves at 26 a game. Without Morris (4 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Green at 24 and Sengun at 18 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-9 a night and the Lakers minus-2 and the defense, Houston allowing 109 a night to the Lakers' 126. Call it Houston 116, the Lakers 115, the Lakers keeping it close.
3/15 vs WAS 123-126 — DEN notes
DEN lost 123-126. DEN shot 51% (48 of 95) to WAS's 48%, 12 of 34 from three. Jokić led with 40 (16 of 30, 1 of 8 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Murray added 24, Westbrook 22. Q1 was theirs, 44-30, but the other 3 periods went 96-79 against them. They led by as many as 16. Watson's -22 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/17 @ GSW 114-105 — DEN notes
DEN won 114-105. DEN shot 47% (43 of 92) to GSW's 49%, 14 of 39 from three, and got to the line 18 times to GSW's 27. The glass went 53-38 for them. Gordon led with 38 (14 of 23, 4 of 6 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Porter Jr. added 21, Watson 13. The hinge was Q1, 29-22: from level to 7 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Porter Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
3/19 @ LAL 108-120 — DEN notes
DEN lost 108-120. DEN shot 47% (41 of 87) to LAL's 51%, 13 of 39 from three, and got to the line 21 times to LAL's 28. DEN turned it over 18 times to LAL's 13, and LAL turned those into 13 steals. Gordon led with 26 (9 of 14, 5 of 9 from three); Pickett added 14, Westbrook 12. Q4 was theirs, 31-15, the deficit cut from 28 to 12, but the other 3 periods went 105-77 against them. Gordon's -22 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/21 @ POR 109-128 — DEN notes
DEN lost 109-128. DEN shot 50% (38 of 76) to POR's 54%, 9 of 26 from three. Gordon led with 23 (6 of 10, 1 of 3 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Westbrook added 18, Porter Jr. 17. Q2 was theirs, 29-24, but the other 3 periods went 104-80 against them. They led by as many as 10. Porter Jr.'s -20 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/23 @ HOU 116-111 — DEN notes
DEN won 116-111. DEN shot 51% (44 of 87) to HOU's 44%, 10 of 21 from three, and got to the line 26 times to HOU's 34. Murray led with 39 (15 of 28, 4 of 6 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Porter Jr. added 17, Westbrook 14. The hinge was Q3, 39-22: from level to 17 ahead. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
3/24 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 118, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gordon at 25 and Murray at 24 a game. Without Jokić (4 straight), Strawther (11 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; White at 29 and Vučević at 17 a game. Without Ball (11 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Denver giving it away 17 times a game to Chicago's 11 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-2 a night and Chicago minus-2. Call it Denver 119, Chicago 118, Chicago keeping it close.
3/26 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Murray at 26 and Gordon at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Jokić (5 straight), Strawther (12 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 106, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 29 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 26 and Kuzma at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. Without Lillard (3 straight), Portis (18 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-4 a night and Milwaukee minus-12 and the turnovers, Denver giving it away 16 times a game to Milwaukee's 9. Call it Denver 114, Milwaukee 113, Milwaukee keeping it close.
3/28 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 121, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Murray at 24 and Gordon at 17 a game. Without Strawther (13 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 123, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Sexton at 19 and Filipowski at 14 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Collins (8 straight), Clarkson (2 straight), Potter (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-3 a night and Utah minus-9 and the line, where Denver takes 24 free throws a game to Utah's 17. Call it Denver 122, Utah 112, Denver by 10.
4/01 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 116, shooting 52 percent and 38 from three, 26 free throws a game; Murray at 24 and Porter Jr. at 19 a game. Without Strawther (14 straight). 3 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 109, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 22 and Randle at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 109 a night to Denver's 116. Call it Denver 116, Minnesota 115, Minnesota keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
HOUAS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JS J. Smith Jr.
JG Ja. Green
SA S. Adams
TE T. Eason
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
DJ D. Jordan
JM J. Murray
MP M. Porter Jr.
PW P. Watson
RW R. Westbrook
ZN Z. Nnaji
HOU/DEN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jamal Murray scores 39 points to lift Denver to 116-111 win over Houston
HOUSTON -- — Jamal Murray had 39 points, Michael Porter Jr . added 17 points and nine rebounds and the Denver Nuggets beat Houston 116-111 on Sunday night to snap the Rockets' nine-game win streak.
Murray, who scored 17 in the first half, had 17 in the third quarter as Denver outscored the Rockets 39-22 in the quarter to take a 96-79 lead.
Russell Westbrook had 14 points off the bench, Aaron Gordon scored 13 points with eight assists and DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, which shot 51% and were 10 of 21 on 3-pointers.
Jalen Green scored 30 points, and Dillon Brooks added 21 points for Houston. Alperen Sengun had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and Steven Adams finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets, which shot 44% and were 11 of 34 from behind the arc.
Trailing 109-100 with 1 ½ minutes left, Houston used a 7-1 run to cut the lead to three on a Sengun layup with 21 seconds left, but Christian Braun made two free throws with 19 seconds remaining to push the lead back to five.
Takeaways Nuggets: Nikola Jokic missed his fourth straight game with left ankle impingement, and Denver improved to 2-2 with him out of the lineup.
Rockets: Houston remains in second place in the Western Conference with 10 games left, but the Nuggets closed to within a game of Houston.
Key moment Sengun made one of two free throws with 14 seconds remaining, and Murray made two free throws two seconds later to push the lead to 114-108.
Key stat Houston finished 22 of 34 from the free throw line, while Denver made 18 of 26.
Up next Denver hosts the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, while Houston hosts the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.