The Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets, 108-96, on the road. For the Rockets, Dwight Howard, who returned tonight after missing the last 11 games with a knee injury, led the way with 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field and had 13 rebounds and three blocks. Dwight Howard reached 10,000 rebounds in his career during this game.
Donatas Motiejunas had a huge game with 25 points on 11-of-19 from the field to go along with five rebounds. James Harden recorded a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Trevor Ariza has been struggling with his shot as of late, as he had just 13 points on 4-of-14 from the field.
The Rockets held the Nuggets to only 37.5 percent from the field. Houston is now 18-5 on the season despite all these injuries they have had. Dwight Howard has missed 12 games this season and Terrance Jones has been out for most of the season while Patrick Beverley has also missed some time. James Harden has played at an elite level this season and has stepped up his game particularly on defense. Harden is a top MVP candidate the way he has played so far this season.
For the Nuggets, Darrell Arthur led the way with a season-high 20 points with 4 three pointers and had six rebounds off the bench. Ty Lawson had a double-double with 19 points and 12 assists. J.J. Hickson also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
However, Arron Afflalo had an off game, shooting just 4-of-17 from the field with 12 points. The Nuggets were playing terrific basketball earlier in the season when at one point, they had won seven out of eight games but since then, they have lost five of their last six games. They are now 10-13 on the season. It will be tough for them to make the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference.