Alperen Sengun turned Houston’s home floor into a passing puzzle Monday night, and Denver never fully solved it. The Rockets used Sengun’s 20 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists to beat the Nuggets 110-100, snapping a two-game slide and improving to 8-3. Denver arrived with two straight wins and a 5-3 record, hoping Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray could lead another sharp road performance. Murray was brilliant, but Houston’s deeper attack wrote the final chapter.

The Rockets came out firing. Kevin Durant opened the scoring for Houston with a three-pointer, then hit a pullup jumper. After Denver briefly tied it 11-11 on a Cameron Johnson three, Sengun answered from deep. Houston kept finding a new scorer: Marcus Smart hit a three, Durant slammed home two dunks, and Fred VanVleet drilled another three. Tari Eason buried a long jumper just before the horn, sending the Rockets into the second quarter ahead 32-24.

Houston’s reserves then changed the game. Guard Bogdanovic hit a three, Eason finished a layup and a dunk, and Amen Thompson floated in a short shot during a 17-0 Rockets burst. Denver had no answer as a close game became a 43-24 Houston lead. Murray finally stopped the run with a three, and he added two more before halftime, but Sengun and Durant kept Houston steady. The Rockets led 54-40 at the break.

Denver fought back with the determination that has made Jokic and Murray such a dangerous pair. Jokic hit a three early in the third quarter, and Murray followed with a floater, a three, and a three-point play, meaning a basket plus a free throw after a foul. When Jokic scored a layup with 5:04 left in the period, Denver had erased the entire deficit and tied the game at 60.

That was the moment Houston had to answer. Eason stole a Jokic pass and scored, while Durant set up a Jabari Smith Jr. dunk and later found Smith for a three. The Rockets rebuilt their lead to 77-68 by the end of the third.

Murray refused to disappear. He scored 38 points, hitting a step-back three to begin the fourth and later cutting Houston’s lead to four, 91-87. Yet every Denver push met a Houston response. Guard Sheppard knocked down two huge threes, Sengun scored twice inside, and VanVleet buried a three for a 96-87 lead. Sengun then found Thompson for a layup and Smith for another three, turning the final minutes into a Houston celebration.

Houston won the rebound battle 51-39 and piled up 29 assists, proof that Sengun’s team-first style spread through the roster. Durant added 23 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, even as Denver forced six of his turnovers. Jokic answered with 25 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists, but Denver’s 19 assists showed how difficult Houston made its usual passing game.

The Rockets next face Golden State with a reminder that their size and sharing can carry them through a scare. Denver, now 5-4, heads to Memphis knowing Murray’s hot hand can keep it close, but Jokic needs more help to finish a comeback.

Houston’s Passing Puzzle Stumps Denver in 110-100 Win