It was not a great night in Colorado, as the Houston Rockets struggled in a 36-point loss to the Denver Nuggets. Following the 129-93 loss, Kevin Durant spoke honestly about the game and whether playing the tail end of a back-to-back played a role, according to NBA Courtside.
“Kevin Durant was asked if the back-to-back played a part in the loss to Denver: ‘Nah. No. This is our job. We get paid to do this. Back to backs shouldn't matter at all,'” NBA Courtside posted on X.
The Rockets were coming off a 113-99 win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. Then, they made the turnaround and traveled to Denver for this game. The results did not go as they had planned, and it was the second time in one week the Rockets faltered.
The Rockets kept it close early, trailing 24-20 after the first quarter, and 53-47 at halftime. But things quickly spiraled out of control in the third quarter, as the Nuggets planted 40 points on them to balloon the lead to 93-69 going into the third. The deficit was too much for the Rockets to overcome, and Durant was not as productive.
Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 16 points on 8 of 14 shooting. Likewise, Durant added 11 points on 5 of 11 shooting. Jabari Smith Jr. had 11 points, while Alperen Sengun had 10. Overall, the team shot 43.3% from the floor, including just 12.1% (4 of 33) from beyond the arc. The Rockets allowed the Nuggets to shoot 55.2% from the hardwood, including 53.1% from the triples.
The Rockets will have a day off on Thursday and then head home for a showdown with the New Orleans Pelicans before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
