Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets led the Nuggets to their seventh triple-double of the season.
The Nuggets defeated the Rockets 134-124 in their 2023-2024 NBA regular-season home opener on Jan. 30 at 텍사스홀덤 Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.
With their third straight win, the Nuggets improved to 13-6 on the season and moved into second place in the Western Conference. They are one game behind the first-place Minnesota Timberwolves (13-4).
Nikola Jokic, last season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), led the way for Denver with a triple-double of 32 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds.
Jokic has seven triple-doubles in 18 games this season. There have been 15 total triple-doubles in the NBA this season, with Jokic responsible for nearly half of them. He is followed by Luka Doncic (Dallas) with two and six other players, including LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), with one triple-double.
Michael Porter Jr. poured in a career-high 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists to pair with Jokic.
Houston, which never led after surrendering a 26-41 first-quarter lead, fell to its second straight loss and dropped to ninth place in the West (8-8).
The Orlando Magic won 139-120 at home against the Washington Wizards to extend their winning streak to eight games. At 13-5, Orlando is in second place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Boston Celtics (14-4).
Franz Wagner led the way with 31 points and six rebounds, including four 3-pointers, while Cole Anthony added 25 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Washington, which had beaten the Detroit Pistons in its previous game to snap a nine-game losing streak, couldn’t keep the momentum going and fell to 14th place in the Eastern Conference (3-15). Even Kyle Kuzma’s 23-point, six-assist performance was a blip.
The Lakers bounced back with a 133-107 win at Detroit, shaking off the shock of a 44-point loss (94-138) to the Philadelphia 76ers two nights earlier. The Lakers improved to 11-8 on the season, good for seventh place in the Western Conference.
D’Angelo Russell led the way with 35 points and nine assists, while Anthony Davis added 28 points and 16 rebounds. James, who tasted the bitter taste of losing by the largest margin since his NBA debut in 2003 against Philadelphia, helped the team rebound with 25 points and eight rebounds.
Detroit, whose 15 points were a team-high for Cade Cunningham, fell to a franchise-record 15th straight loss and remained at the bottom of the Eastern Conference (2-16).