Jokic and Murray Will the Nuggets to Victory in Gritty Overtime Thriller Against Rockets 128-125
If you looked solely at the injury report before tip-off, you might have assumed the Denver Nuggets were scheduled for a loss. No Aaron Gordon. No Christian Braun. And then, just six minutes into the first quarter, Peyton Watson headed to the locker room with a trunk contusion, leaving the rotation thinner than the mountain air outside Ball Arena.
But looking at a piece of paper doesn’t account for the heart of a champion, and it certainly doesn’t account for Nikola Jokic.
In a game that felt more like a heavyweight boxing match than a mid-December regular-season contest, the Nuggets survived a furious challenge from the Houston Rockets, escaping with a 128-125 overtime victory. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t clean, but it was the kind of gut-check win that defines a season.
The Clash of the Centers
The narrative coming into this game was the matchup between the master and the student. Alperen Sengun, often compared to Jokic for his playmaking ability, came into Denver looking to prove he belonged in the MVP conversation. To his credit, the young Rockets center was spectacular, putting up a triple-double of his own with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
However, the master still has a few tricks left.
Jokic was simply undeniable. Playing 42 grueling minutes, the Serbian superstar poured in 39 points, ripped down 15 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists for his 12th triple-double of the season. Every time the Nuggets looked like they were about to break under Houston’s pressure, Jokic was there—calming the offense, backing down defenders, and finding the open man. It was a masterful display of control in a game that felt chaotic from the jump.
Murray’s Ice-Cold Veins in Crunch Time
While Jokic provided the foundation, Jamal Murray provided the finishing nails. With the offense sputtering at times against a long, athletic Rockets defense anchored by Kevin Durant (who recorded five blocks), Murray took it upon himself to get points on the board.
Murray finished with 35 points, but the stat that jumps off the page is his free-throw shooting: 14-of-15 from the stripe. In a game decided by a single possession, Murray’s ability to draw contact and calmly sink shots was the difference-maker. He scored six of his points in the extra period, refusing to let the fatigue of a 43-minute performance slow him down. When the game turned into a grind, Murray didn’t flinch.
A Fourth Quarter of Chaos and Controversy
The final minutes of regulation were enough to give any coach gray hair. The last 1:40 alone featured four ties and four lead changes. The tension in the arena was palpable. Spencer Jones, an unsung hero on a night depleting of depth, hit a massive three-pointer off a Jokic feed to put Denver up late, only for Sengun to answer back with a driving hook shot.
The officiating also became a major storyline. Rockets coach Ime Udoka didn’t mince words post-game, calling it the “most poorly officiated game I’ve seen in a long time,” and suggesting the crew chief was “star struck.” While Houston fumed, Denver focused.
The game eventually went to overtime, tied at 117, but the momentum had shifted. The Nuggets, despite the injuries and the exhaustion, seemed to have the mental edge.
Surviving the Rockets’ Star Power
It’s impossible to ignore the sheer talent on the other side of the floor. The Rockets aren’t just an up-and-coming team anymore; they are a legitimate threat. Kevin Durant was a menace on defense and added 25 points, including a crucial block on a Jokic three-pointer late in the fourth that preserved the tie.
The Rockets clawed back from a seven-point deficit in overtime, refusing to die. It came down to the final seconds, with Sengun hoisting a contested 24-foot three-pointer with 4.9 seconds left that would have tied it. The shot clanked off, and the collective exhale from the 19,596 fans in Denver was almost audible on the broadcast.
What This Means for the Nuggets
This win pushes Denver to 19-6, keeping them firmly near the top of the Western Conference standings. But more than the record, this game proved the team’s resilience. Without their best perimeter defender in Gordon and a key rotation piece in Braun, they managed to beat a fully loaded Rockets team that came in hot (16-7).
Role players stepped up—Spencer Jones played 40 minutes and hit timely shots—but ultimately, this was a testament to the two-man game of Jokic and Murray. They willed this team to the finish line.
As the team prepares to host the Orlando Magic on Thursday, the training staff will be working overtime. But for one night, the pain of the bruises was numb. The Nuggets didn’t just win a basketball game; they survived a war of attrition.
