Game ID: 22501225
Houston Rockets @ Denver Nuggets
Monday, December 15, 2025 at 9:30 PM ET
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT1 Final
DEN 24 34 31 28 11 128HOU 30 21 35 31 8 125
DEN vs HOU ScoutingDEN vs 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.
DEN availability going into 12/03 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 9 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 5 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Strawther missed 8 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Pickett back 11/29 after 5, 2 min since (10% of 16)
BACK Nnaji back 11/24 after 2, 11 min since (88% of 12)
NEW Johnson 31 to 37 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/05 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 10 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 6 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Strawther missed 9 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Pickett back 11/29 after 5, 2 min since (10% of 16)
BACK Nnaji back 11/24 after 2, 11 min since (90% of 12)
NEW Johnson 31 to 36 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/07 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 11 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 7 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Strawther missed 10 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Pickett back 11/29 after 5, 2 min since (10% of 16)
DEN availability going into 12/11 · 3 days' restOUT Braun missed 12 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 8 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Strawther missed 11 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Pickett back 11/29 after 5, 6 min since (41% of 16)
NEW Johnson 31 to 36 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/15 · 3 days' restOUT Braun missed 13 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 9 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Strawther missed 12 since 11/17, out tonight
DEN availability going into 12/18 · 2 days' restOUT Braun missed 14 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 10 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Strawther missed 13 since 11/17, returns tonight: 6 min (40% of 15)
NEW Johnson 31 to 37 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 15 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 11 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Strawther back 12/18 after 13, 6 min since (40% of 15)
NEW Johnson 31 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Pickett 16 to 22 min over the last 3
DEN availability going into 12/22 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 16 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Watson missed 2 since 12/18, returns tonight: 28 min (94% of 30)
OUT Gordon missed 12 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Strawther back 12/18 after 13, 5 min since (36% of 15)
NEW Johnson 31 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Pickett 16 to 22 min over the last 4
DEN availability going into 12/23 · back-to-backOUT Braun missed 17 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 13 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Watson back 12/22 after 2, 28 min since (94% of 30)
BACK Strawther back 12/18 after 13, 7 min since (50% of 15)
NEW Pickett 16 to 23 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 12/03 · 1 day's restOUT Eason missed 7 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 18 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Durant back 11/30 after 2, 35 min since (96% of 36)
NEW Holiday 14 to 25 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/05 · 1 day's restOUT Eason missed 8 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 19 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Durant back 11/30 after 2, 34 min since (93% of 36)
NEW Holiday 14 to 25 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/06 · back-to-backOUT Eason missed 9 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 20 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Durant back 11/30 after 2, 34 min since (92% of 36)
NEW Holiday 14 to 26 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/11 · 4 days' restOUT Sengun missed 2 since 12/05, returns tonight: 36 min (107% of 34)
OUT Eason missed 10 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 21 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Durant back 11/30 after 2, 33 min since (91% of 36)
NEW Holiday 14 to 25 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/15 · 3 days' restOUT Eason missed 11 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 22 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Sengun back 12/11 after 2, 36 min since (107% of 34)
NEW Holiday 14 to 25 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/18 · 2 days' restOUT Eason missed 12 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 23 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Sengun back 12/11 after 2, 39 min since (116% of 34)
NEW Okogie 17 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Holiday 14 to 20 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Eason missed 13 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 24 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Sengun back 12/11 after 2, 38 min since (113% of 34)
NEW Okogie 17 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Holiday 14 to 19 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backOUT Eason missed 14 since 11/16, returns tonight: 16 min (59% of 26)
OUT Finney-Smith missed 25 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Sengun back 12/11 after 2, 36 min since (107% of 34)
NEW Smith Jr. 36 to 41 min over the last 5
NEW Okogie 17 to 26 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Finney-Smith missed 26 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Sengun back 12/11 after 2, 37 min since (110% of 34)
BACK Eason back 12/21 after 14, 16 min since (59% of 26)
NEW Durant 36 to 42 min over the last 5
NEW Okogie 17 to 28 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 119, shooting 54 percent and 42 from three, 25 free throws a game; Jokić at 31 and Murray at 26 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Braun (13 straight), Gordon (9 straight). 3 days' rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 112, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Sengun at 27 and Durant at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Eason (11 straight), Finney-Smith (22 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-12 a night and Denver minus-1 and the turnovers, Houston giving it away 17 times a game to Denver's 10. Call it Denver 120, Houston 116, Houston keeping it close.
12/03 @ IND 135-120 — DEN notes
DEN won 135-120. DEN shot 59% (49 of 83) to IND's 52%, 17 of 28 from three. Murray led with 52 (19 of 25, 10 of 11 from three); Jokić added 24, Brown 14. The hinge was Q2, 39-20: a lead of 5 became 24, and the lead reached 29. Jokić was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
12/05 @ ATL 134-133 — DEN notes
DEN won 134-133. DEN shot 53% (47 of 89) to ATL's 52%, 16 of 37 from three, and went to the line 30 times to ATL's 16 — 24 points from the stripe to their 15. Jokić led with 40 (13 of 26, 1 of 8 from three, 13 of 15 at the line); Murray added 23, Hardaway Jr. 17. The hinge was Q3, 40-30: the deficit went from 19 to 9. DEN trailed 54-73 at the half and won the second half 80-60.
12/07 @ CHA 115-106 — DEN notes
DEN won 115-106. DEN shot 52% (43 of 83) to CHA's 45%, 13 of 35 from three. The glass went 35-47 against them. Murray led with 34 (14 of 25, 2 of 9 from three); Jokić added 28, Hardaway Jr. 14. The hinge was Q3, 30-23: DEN came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 6. DEN trailed 57-58 at the half and won the second half 58-48. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
12/11 @ SAC 136-105 — DEN notes
DEN won 136-105. DEN shot 59% (52 of 88) to SAC's 45%, 12 of 29 from three, and went to the line 29 times to SAC's 23 — 20 points from the stripe to their 16. Jokić led with 36 (14 of 16, 6 of 8 at the line); Watson added 21, Johnson 16. The hinge was Q1, 41-26: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 37. Jokić was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
12/15 vs HOU 128-125 — DEN notes
DEN won 128-125 in 1 overtime. DEN shot 51% (43 of 85) to HOU's 51%, 15 of 34 from three, and went to the line 33 times to HOU's 26 — 27 points from the stripe to their 19. DEN turned it over 10 times to HOU's 16. Jokić led with 39 (13 of 27, 5 of 9 from three, 8 of 11 at the line); Murray added 35, Johnson 13. The hinge was Q2, 34-21: DEN came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 7.
12/18 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 118, shooting 55 percent and 45 from three, 28 free throws a game; Jokić at 33 and Murray at 31 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Braun (14 straight), Gordon (10 straight). 2 days' rest. Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Fra. Wagner at 22 and Bane at 22 a game. 4 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 45 percent from three to Orlando's 34 and the defense, Orlando allowing 111 a night to Denver's 118. Call it Denver 120, Orlando 115.
12/20 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 117, shooting 54 percent and 42 from three, 26 free throws a game; Jokić at 33 and Murray at 27 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Braun (15 straight), Gordon (11 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 119, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sengun at 28 and Durant at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Eason (13 straight), Finney-Smith (24 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-12 a night and Denver minus-4 and the turnovers, Houston giving it away 18 times a game to Denver's 11. Call it Denver 122, Houston 116.
12/22 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 113, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 30 and Murray at 26 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Braun (16 straight), Watson (2 straight), Gordon (12 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 132, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 29 free throws a game; George at 29 and Bailey at 12 a game. Without Markkanen (2 straight), Kessler (22 straight), Harkless (13 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 113 a night to Utah's 132 and the line, where Utah takes 29 free throws a game to Denver's 24. Call it Denver 127, Utah 117, Denver by 10.
12/23 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 27 from three, 28 free throws a game; Flagg at 25 and Davis at 24 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 43 from three, 25 free throws a game; Jokić at 27 and Murray at 24 a game. Without Braun (17 straight), Gordon (13 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 43 percent from three to Dallas's 27 and the turnovers, Dallas giving it away 16 times a game to Denver's 11. Call it Denver 121, Dallas 116.
12/03 vs SAC 121-95 — HOU notes
HOU won 121-95. HOU shot 53% (48 of 91) to SAC's 41%, 5 of 16 from three, and went to the line 24 times to SAC's 10 — 20 points from the stripe to their 5. The glass went 62-32 for them. Sengun led with 28 (11 of 20, 6 of 7 at the line); Durant added 24, Thompson 20. The hinge was Q3, 36-19: HOU came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 16, and the lead reached 26. HOU trailed 51-52 at the half and won the second half 70-43. Smith Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
12/05 vs PHX 117-98 — HOU notes
HOU won 117-98. HOU shot 59% (45 of 76) to PHX's 39%, 10 of 18 from three. HOU turned it over 21 times to PHX's 13, and PHX turned those into 12 steals. Thompson led with 31 (12 of 17, 6 of 6 at the line); Durant added 28, Smith Jr. 16. The hinge was Q2, 44-27: HOU came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 10, and the lead reached 30. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +33.
12/06 @ DAL 109-122 — HOU notes
HOU lost 109-122. HOU shot 51% (44 of 87) to DAL's 60%, 10 of 29 from three, and got to the line 13 times to DAL's 20. HOU turned it over 18 times to DAL's 12, and DAL turned those into 13 steals. Durant led with 27 (11 of 20, 1 of 3 from three); Smith Jr. added 22, Holiday 19. Q4 was theirs, 32-28, the deficit cut from 17 to 13, but the other 3 periods went 94-77 against them. Thompson's -14 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/11 vs LAC 115-113 — HOU notes
HOU won 115-113. HOU shot 46% (43 of 93) to LAC's 50%, 12 of 34 from three. The glass went 51-28 for them. Sengun led with 22 (9 of 22, 0 of 3 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Thompson added 20, Smith Jr. 18. The hinge was Q4, 35-31: HOU came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 2. HOU trailed 51-54 at the half and won the second half 64-59. Adams was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
12/15 @ DEN 125-128 — HOU notes
HOU lost 125-128 in 1 overtime. HOU took 8 more shots (93 to 85), fed by 12 offensive rebounds, but shot 51% to DEN's 51%, 12 of 25 from three, and got to the line 26 times to DEN's 33. HOU turned it over 16 times to DEN's 10, and DEN turned those into 10 steals. Sengun led with 33 (14 of 27, 5 of 6 at the line); Durant added 25, Smith Jr. 16. Q1 was theirs, 30-24, but the other 4 periods went 104-95 against them. Adams's -8 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/18 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 121, shooting 49 percent and 30 from three, 23 free throws a game; Murphy III at 24 and Bey at 16 a game. Without Jordan (23 straight). 3 days' rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 111, shooting 52 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sengun at 28 and Durant at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 15 a night. Without Eason (12 straight), Finney-Smith (23 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-15 a night and New Orleans plus-0 and the arc, Houston at 40 percent from three to New Orleans's 30. Call it Houston 119, New Orleans 116, New Orleans keeping it close.
12/20 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 117, shooting 54 percent and 42 from three, 26 free throws a game; Jokić at 33 and Murray at 27 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Braun (15 straight), Gordon (11 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 119, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sengun at 28 and Durant at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Eason (13 straight), Finney-Smith (24 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-12 a night and Denver minus-4 and the turnovers, Houston giving it away 18 times a game to Denver's 11. Call it Denver 122, Houston 116.
12/21 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 30 from three, 27 free throws a game; DeRozan at 19 and Raynaud at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without LaVine (2 straight), Sabonis (14 straight), Plowden (16 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Durant at 26 and Sengun at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Eason (14 straight), Finney-Smith (25 straight). 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-12 a night and Sacramento minus-2 and the arc, Houston at 41 percent from three to Sacramento's 30. Call it Houston 119, Sacramento 114.
12/23 @ LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and Harden at 22 a game. Without Jones Jr. (15 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Durant at 26 and Sengun at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Finney-Smith (26 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 the Clippers plus-0 and the arc, Houston at 42 percent from three to the Clippers' 35. Call it Houston 116, the Clippers 113, the Clippers keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CC C. Capela
JO J. Okogie
JS J. Smith Jr.
KD K. Durant
RS R. Sheppard
SA S. Adams
DENBB B. Brown
CJ C. Johnson
JM J. Murray
JV J. Valančiūnas
JO Jokic
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
SJ S. Jones
TH T. Hardaway Jr.
VA Valanciunas
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
Nikola Jokic's 12th triple-double of the season leads Nuggets to 128-125 OT win over Rockets
DENVER -- — Nikola Jokic had 39 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his NBA-leading 12th triple-double of the season as the Denver Nuggets outlasted the Houston Rockets 128-125 in overtime on Monday night in a matchup of two of the top three teams in the Western Conference standings.
Jamal Murray added 35 points for Denver, including six of his team’s 11 points in overtime. Murray made 14 of his 15 free-throw attempts.
The win was the Nuggets’ fifth in a row and was their first home victory since Nov. 8.
The final 1:40 of regulation had four ties and four lead changes, a stretch capped off by a free throw by Murray that tied the game with 2.3 seconds remaining after an away-from-play foul on Houston’s Amen Thompson . Denver retained possession after the free throw, but a 3-point attempt by Jokic from the top of the key was long.
The Nuggets took a 124-117 lead after a Spencer Jones 3 with 2:59 remaining in overtime, but the Rockets clawed back, getting within three with the ball and 13 seconds remaining. Alperen Sengun missed a contested 24-foot 3 with 4.9 seconds remaining, allowing Denver to hold on for the victory.
Sengun paced the Rockets with 33 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first triple-double of the season. Kevin Durant added 25 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five blocks for Houston, which lost its third consecutive road game.
A Nuggets team that was already down two starters in Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Christian Braun (ankle) played much of the game without starting guard Peyton Watson , who left six minutes into the first quarter after suffering a right trunk contusion.
Up next Rockets: At the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.