Three Takeaways as Rockets Retaliate With Big Win Against Nuggets

The Houston Rockets couldn't be more desperate to get themselves back on track. Losing two consecutive overtime games has been a gut-wrenching experience for the entire group.

Saturday evening, they got the job done in major fashion. After the controversial OT loss earlier this week, the Rockets returned to the Mile High City and delivered a 115-101 statement win over the Denver Nuggets.

It was indeed a satisfying bounce-back dub, as the Rockets had already owned the momentum as early as the first half and led by as many as 21.

Here are the takeaways of the Rockets' wire-to-wire win over the Nuggets:

1. Kevin Durant leads the way for Houston

Under his lead, Kevin Durant has witnessed the Rockets' tight collapse in the last two games. And tonight, he surely stepped up to stop the team's downslide.

Carrying the team on his back, the superstar poured a scoring clinic to torch the Nuggets. Durant finished with a game-high 31 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the field in 39 minutes.

His marksmanship from beyond the arc was huge, as he sank five triples in just six attempts. It was an intense matchup that KD embraced, constantly jawing with several Nuggets players.

Kevin Durant and Bruce Brown exchanging smoke. 🍿👀

pic.twitter.com/WbxDj47Wb2
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) December 21, 2025

2. Outstanding plays from Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr. fuels Houston

Both of Reed Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr. endured a brutal performance in the Rockets' last overtime loss against the New Orleans Pelicans. Their inconsistent shooting just worsened Houston's collapse after leading by as many as 25.

But this Saturday, both young stars redeemed themselves in Denver. Sheppard went off once again from the bench, producing huge numbers of 28 points, six assists and three steals across 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, Smith Jr. served as a main helping hand for Durant among starters, as his double-double performance of 22 points and 10 assists anchored the team's blowout win.

3. Defense served as key element to beat Nuggets

Facing a juggernaut offensive team like the Nuggets won't ever be easy, simply because of Nikola Jokic. But Saturday, the Rockets completely clamped them down with a top-notch defensive showcase.

Throughout the 48-minute outing, the Nuggets only shot 40% from the field (37-92). Their three-point shooting was completely neutralized by the Rockets, settling for an awful 28% mark from downtown (8-29).

Although Jokic dropped 25 points, the rest of his group was nowhere to be found. Jamal Murray struggled with just 16 points in 4-13 shooting, while Cam Johnson couldn't hit shots of his own as well with a passive six-point evening.