Rockets Winning Streak Stopped as Nuggets Overcome Injury Challenges for Key Victory

The Denver Nuggets halted the Houston Rockets’ impressive nine-game winning streak, securing a 116-111 victory at the Toyota Center on Sunday.

Nikola Jokic was absent for the fourth consecutive matchup of the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season due to a left ankle impingement. The Serbian star is projected to miss Monday’s game against the Chicago Bulls at Ball Arena as well, but is anticipated to make his return during a five-game homestand, potentially facing the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo on Wednesday.

In this significant triumph, Slovenian Vlatko Cancar and Croatian Dario Saric did not see any playing time for coach Michael Malone’s squad. With this win, the Nuggets improved their record to 45-27, closing the gap to just one game behind the Rockets for second place in the Western Conference.

On the losing side of Sunday’s NBA match, Turkish player Alperen Sengun recorded a triple-double without any turnovers, contributing 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists, along with two steals and one block in 39 minutes. After the game, the 22-year-old center expressed confidence, stating, “It’s one of those games. We are going to bounce back next game,” as he turned his focus to Tuesday’s encounter with the Atlanta Hawks at the Toyota Center.

In Intuit Dome, the Oklahoma City Thunder narrowly defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, with a final score of 103-101. Despite playing through a nasal fracture, German Isaiah Hartenstein recorded a solid double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, adding six assists, three blocks, and two steals. However, Frenchman Ousmane Dieng, dealing with a left calf strain, Belgian Ajay Mitchell recovering from right toe surgery, and Serbian Nikola Topic, who is sidelined following knee surgery, all remained out.

Starting for the Clippers, Croatian Ivica Zubac achieved a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, along with three assists and two blocks. Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic contributed with two points, three assists, three rebounds, two steals, and one block, while Frenchman Nicolas Batum was restricted to just five minutes of play without any production.

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