HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green scored 25 points, Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 14 rebounds and the Houston Rockets beat the slumping Denver Nuggets 105-86 on Friday night in the NBA's In-Season Tournament.
Houston improved to 2-1 in the tournament with a game left next week at Dallas. Denver completed group play 2-2. The defending champion Nuggets have lost five of seven after opening 8-1.
Nikola Jokic had a season-high 38 points along with 19 rebounds and eight assists for Denver. Aaron Gordon went 0 for 12 and had two points on a night the Nuggets shot 33.7%.
The Rockets have won three in a row over the Nuggets, including both meetings this season, after dropping the previous 10.
Houston was up by 15 entering the fourth quarter before the Nuggets scored the first six points of the quarter, capped by a 3 from Justin Holiday, to get to 84-75.
Sengun made a layup for the Rockets after that but was called for a foul on Jokic on the other end seconds later. Houston coach Ime Udoka was given a technical for arguing the call and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made the technical free throw before Jokic made one of two free throws to cut the lead to nine again.
But Green was fouled on a dunk on the next possession and finished the 3-point play. Fred VanVleet then swiped the ball from Reggie Jackson and passed to Green for an alley-oop dunk to bring the crowd to its feet and leave the Rockets up 91-77 with less than seven minutes left.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Host San Antonio on Saturday night.
Rockets: Wrap up group play in the in-season tournament at Dallas on Tuesday night.
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