'The Worst!' No Excuses for Houston Rockets in Embarrassing Loss to Denver Nuggets: Notebook

'The Worst!' No Excuses for Houston Rockets in Embarrassing Loss - A Seventh Straight - to Denver Nuggets: Notebook

From the absence of two rotational players to the fatigue from playing a back-to-back, the Houston Rockets had several things working against them during Wednesday's 134-124 loss to the Denver Nuggets. But inside Ball Arena, coach Ime Udoka did not make excuses.

"This was the worst first quarter of the year," Udoka said. "The worst first half of the year. This had nothing to do with the back-to-back. Yes, we were down a starter and a key reserve. But we have to come out with better focus."

Udoka said there was no aggressiveness. And minutes after the opening tip, Udoka noticed his players had put too much effort into looking for fouls, which resulted in a lack of focus.

The struggles Udoka witnessed had the Rockets trailing 76-59 by halftime. With 2:58 left in the first quarter, the Nuggets had built a 19-point lead. Udoka said the Rockets needed to start the game with better intensity on both ends. However, their play on the defensive end was the most frustrating. 

After holding Denver to an average of 95 points during their first two meetings, the Rockets allowed the Nuggets to tie their season-high in points. 

Nikola Jokić got "whatever he wanted" by recording his third consecutive 30-point game against the Rockets with 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds. But Michael Porter Jr. registered 30 points on 11 of 17 shooting, 7 of 12 from behind the arc. 

He also added 10 rebounds and five assists to help the Nuggets rout the Rockets, while Denver shot 50.5 percent from the field.

"We lost track of Porter, while Jokić was having his way," Udoka said. "Guys were wide open, and we were missing assignments. Guys were not paying attention to detail. When you are down one or two players, you cannot fall off a cliff."

The Rockets were extremely short-handed against the Nuggets. In addition to the absence of Amen Thompson, the Rockets were without Jae'Sean Tate (knee soreness) and Fred VanVleet (sprained left thumb).

Rockets forward Dillon Brooks falls to the court after colliding with Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as he screens for guard Jamal Murray / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Green's second half play not enough: The only quarter where the Rockets appeared to attempt a comeback came in the third. They outscored the Nuggets 38-32, and Jalen Green's third-quarter explosion played the most significant role. 

He scored 19 points during the period, shooting 6 of 6 from the field. Green's performance was a 180 from his horrific first half. Udoka acknowledged Green's play was "better" in the second half but expressed they needed his aggressiveness from the opening tip. 

"His energy was up, he got going," Udoka said. "But I told him to bring that energy and focus from the start. Not when you are only scoring. He started defending better. Passing better. And rebounding better. But I want him to be aggressive from the start."

Green finished with a team-high 26 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field and 5 of 8 on 3-point field goal attempts. However, Green's most significant contribution against the Nuggets was his playmaking. 

In the absence of VanVleet, Green took the helm as Houston's primary facilitator, tying a career-best nine assists. He came into Denver with the mindset of being the team's playmaker while worrying about his scoring later.

"I saw that Fred was out, and that's a big playmaker for us," Green said. "I was trying to be a playmaker while getting my guys involved. Of course, we were going to need big buckets throughout the night. But I had to adjust."  

Rockets 0-7 on the road: The Rockets are the only team in the league without a road win. Houston is riding a seven-game road losing streak, and the losses are starting to take a toll. The Rockets will close their three-game road trip against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night inside the Crypto.com Arena. 

"We have to flush this game down the toilet and get ready for the Lakers," Jabari Smith Jr. said. "We will take the day off tomorrow to re-group. We will go back to the film room to see what we can do to beat [the Lakers] and get our first win on the road."

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