Nuggets can't find enough offense outside Jamal Murray in loss to Rockets

Bennett Durando, The Denver Post on Nov 9, 2026

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HOUSTON — The Denver Nuggets know a litmus test when they see one. They hadn’t faced a first-rate championship contender since opening night, when they showed they could hang with the fully healthy Oklahoma City Thunder for at least half a game before their offense unraveled.

It looked like they weren’t going to hang at all with Houston.

Maybe it was the travel debacle getting into town, or maybe it was just one of those uncharacteristically bad shooting nights up and down the lineup, but the Nuggets fell behind by 19 in the second quarter before they made their push Monday. Potent defense willed them back into a game that was threatening to spiral out of control, but it wasn’t enough to fully recover in a 110-100 loss to the Rockets.

Jamal Murray’s 38-point,14 for 23 masterclass was the only source of offense Denver (5-4) could muster. Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The Nuggets are 4-0 against teams currently with losing records and 1-4 against teams with winning records.

They willed themselves to an 18-2 run in the third quarter Monday, blitzing Durant’s pick-and-rolls with Alperen Sengun, getting hands on the ball while defending drives, disrupting Houston’s attempts at the rim. It fueled enough transition chances to come all the way back, despite some sloppy offense. At one point, the game turned into a 30-second blooper reel. Denver missed three consecutive layups, then the teams exchanged chaotic turnovers at the other end.

Yet it was 60-60 when the dust settled — briefly — with five minutes left in the third. For the first time all night, Denver had pressured Rockets coach Ime Udoka into calling a timeout. His team responded. Veteran guards Fred VanVleet and Marcus Smart trapped Christian Braun at the timeline, forcing a turnover and a fast-break bucket. Denver turned it over again on the next possession, surrendering another transition dunk. Then another turnover.

Three minutes after tying it, the Nuggets trailed by nine again. They spent the rest of the night trying to claw back.

Murray was their only player who could buy a bucket. It was the story of a wayward first half and the recurring theme of an ill-fated comeback. He had 15 points on nine shot attempts at the intermission.

Nikola Jokic was aggressive at both ends, but playing his heart out wasn’t enough. His 25 points and 16 rebounds came with an 11-for-21 shooting line. Braun was similarly excellent defensively, but he was held to four points on offense. Aaron Gordon was held to three — on six shot attempts. He committed a costly eight-second violation bringing the ball up too slowly with four minutes remaining and Denver down by eight.

DeMar DeRozan and Spencer Jones, fresh off impactful dual performances off the bench, couldn’t make their presence felt. DeRozan scored seven points on eight shots. He was a minus-16. Jones was a minus-21.

David Adelman changed up his rotation in the fourth quarter, playing Jokic and Murray together in an attempt to recapture momentum. The closest Denver got was within four. Reed Sheppard and VanVleet hut huge pull-up 3s in the pick-and-roll. Sengun and company grabbed a few timely offensive rebounds. The offense never arrived for the Nuggets, with the exception of Murray.

The point guard logged 39 minutes, with Jokic not far behind at 38:38 in the loss. Denver visits Memphis on Wednesday.

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