Alperen Sengun Receives Lesson From Nikola Jokic In Rockets Loss To Nuggets - Notebook

Nikola Jokic gave Alperen Sengun a first-hand look into what made him a two-time MVP winner in the Houston Rockets' road loss to the Nuggets.

Alperen Sengun was thrilled to have another opportunity to play against his favorite player Nikola Jokic Monday night inside Ball Arena. Sengun expressed his excitement after Kevin Porter Jr. revealed that the team calls him "Baby Joker," given that his game is similar to the two-time league MVP winner.

Sengun held his own against his idol. And at one point, it appeared that Sengun would get the upper hand over Jokic after he scored 10 of his 18 points in the first quarter. 

But during the third quarter, Sengun received a first-hand experience of what made Jokic his idol. Jokic scored 16 of his 32 points during the third period to lead the Nuggets to a 129-113 victory over the Rockets.   

"It was a good game for us, but he played good," Sengun said. "I am hoping that we'll have better luck next game. I am learning that he is a good post-up player and how to guard [it]."

Jokic's third-quarter eruption helped hold off a feisty Rockets team. Jabari Smith Jr. connected on a triple that cut the Nuggets' lead to 81-80 at the 7:51 mark of the period. But Denver closed the quarter by outscoring Houston by 14 points to take a 106-91 lead into the final period.

The Rockets had no answer for Jokic during the second half. He also finished with a dozen rebounds and eight assists. But Jokic wasn't the only problem Houston faced. 

Jamal Murray scored a season-high 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field, 4-of-8 from behind the arc. He scored 22 in the first half, which had set a career-best against the Rockets. 

Murray's play during the first half led to Houston trailing 70-68 at halftime. 

"It was difficult, especially against a good veteran team that's been together for a long time," coach Stephen Silas said. "Jokic and Murray were the two main guys we had problems with. We fought back. But we just didn't have enough. You don't want teams to finish a quarter in that way."

Rockets divert from ball movement

The Rockets enter their contest against the Nuggets on a two-game win streak. While the individual performances of Smith and Jalen Green were prominent in Houston's recent success, the Rockets' ball movement played an essential role. 

Houston averaged 25.0 assists over their previous two games. Against the Nuggets, the Rockets had a chance to surpass their average after notching 19 first half assists. 

The Rockets put together a subpar production during the third quarter, and their lack of ball movement played a major role. Houston recorded six assists during the second half. Their inefficient ball movement resulted in the team's offense to become stagnant. 

"We did not move the ball in the second half the way we did in the first half," Silas said. "During the first quarter, we were doing a great job moving the ball for shot quality. I do not think our shot quality and ball movement wasn't as good in the second half."   

Foul trouble for Houston

Jabari Smith Jr. got into early foul trouble that halted a five-game stretch, where he averaged 16.0 points on 39.4 percent shooting from the field, 36.6 percent from behind the arc, 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. 

Smith picked up three fouls early in the first quarter. His foul troubles led to Silas playing Smith for 17 minutes, where he scored nine points. Sengun led the team in fouls after receiving four.

Quick hit: 

- K.J. Martin led all reserves in scoring with 15 points and six rebounds. 

- After many speculations, Sengun started at center over Bruno Fernando. Fernando was the third big man that came off the bench as he played eight minutes. Usman Garuba played 11 minutes.  

- Jalen Green recorded seven assists while shooting 5-of-15 from the floor for 17 points. Green's play against the Nuggets marked his sixth out of his last seven games he recorded five or more assists.

Final Words:

"He [Sengun] did a good job," Silas said. "He fought hard. But Jokic is crafty and big. When he misses, he can get his own rebound. He can make every play. Sengun tried his hardest and did a good job. But that was an MVP performance we saw tonight."

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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