In their dominant win over the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets got a boost from an unlikely source: Guard Austin Rivers logged a plus-minus of 34 in 29 minutes. Most of it was due to good defense.

Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston, Rivers shared his thoughts on what they did right in the 112-85 win on Thursday. For Rivers, it all starts with good defense.

“I thought it started with our defensive pressure,” Rivers said. “We were really sound defensively. I think we made it as difficult as possible and they’re (Denver) a really good offensive team.

For the season, the Nuggets are the fifth-best offensive team in the NBA with an offensive rating of 112.4. Thursday against the Rockets, they shot just 36.9 percent from the field and 4 of 24 from downtown, a measly 16.7 percent.

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Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni echoed Rivers' claims. D'Antoni has been heralded by his peers as an offensive genius. His defense, or lack thereof, has been a subject of jokes. Against the Nuggets, he shut everyone up.

“We played great defense tonight,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We do that; I don’t care who’s out there. It just happened to be Denver. This is by far our best effort defensively and it’s been coming on.”

The Nuggets and the Rockets might clash deep into the playoffs. The Rockets' dominance over Denver is something to take note of heading into April, as is the resurgence of Austin Rivers. The Rockets have more experience than the Nuggets, who haven't won a single playoff series since 2009. A Mike D'Antoni-led team is very capable of playing excellent defense as well, and Rivers was part of that reality on Thursday night.