Jamal Murray scores 39, Nuggets break even on 4-game trip without Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic was on the road this week with the Nuggets, but he sat out all four games of their critical Western Conference trip, confronting the team with its fair share of adversity.

But Denver managed to return home with a 2-2 split after beating the Rockets 116-111 on Sunday in Houston, bookending the trip with wins against red-hot opponents. Houston had won nine straight.

Coach Michael Malone said Jokic (ankle and elbow injuries) is unlikely to play Monday when the Nuggets complete a back-to-back, but the reigning MVP is expected to return at some point in the next week during a five-game homestand.

Murray’s third quarter

After Jamal Murray twisted his ankle last Saturday, he was adrenaline-fueled enough to return moments later and sink a late game-tying jumper — but ultimately not healthy enough to risk playing in Denver’s next two games. His return on Friday in Portland was quiet. He scored 10 underwhelming points on 10 shot attempts, a noticeable lack of usage on a night when he should have been the center of the Nuggets’ offense without Jokic. They lost by 19.

In Houston, Murray was no longer a supporting character. His 39-point performance was highlighted by a third-quarter heat check that turned out to be the difference in the game. The Nuggets led 71-66 with 6:30 left in the frame when Murray knocked down a 20-footer. It started a three-minute stretch in which he scored 12 consecutive Nuggets points without missing. The culmination was a remarkable fadeaway jumper with Dillon Brooks’ hand in his face after Murray seemed to want the tenacious Brooks switched on him.

The 12-point streak ended with a perfectly placed alley-oop from Murray to DeAndre Jordan. Soon, the Rockets had no choice but to unambiguously send a double-team at Murray. He made the right read by passing out of the trap to Peyton Watson, who found Russell Westbrook for a backside 3-pointer. Denver took a 17-point lead to the fourth. Murray finished with seven assists and one turnover.

Starting Jordan pays off

Jordan was out of the rotation each of the last 10 games before Sunday, but the Nuggets needed a particular skillset of his in Houston. Two days earlier, they had given up 15 offensive rebounds and 26 second-chance points in the loss to Portland.

So Jordan slotted into the starting lineup in his hometown, moving Aaron Gordon to the four and Michael Porter Jr. to the three while Westbrook came off the bench (14 points). Jordan exceeded expectations, securing 15 rebounds in 38 minutes while contributing 11 points as a lob threat.

A two-time rebounding champion, he still averages 10.2 defensive boards per 36 minutes this season, which would rank top-five in the league if he was eligible for statistical leaderboards. (He has only played in 47 games.)

Rockets can go big, go zone

The Nuggets and Rockets have played twice this season, and Jokic has been absent from both games. The full extent of matchup intel remains somewhat shrouded in mystery as a result. That could be relevant at a later date. Houston is second place in the West after Sunday’s game, and Denver is third. These teams could very well meet again in the playoffs.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka deployed a zone defense often on Sunday, especially against Nuggets lineups that were sorely lacking shooters such as a second-quarter lineup with Jordan, Westbrook, Watson and Zeke Nnaji. Houston also used two bigs together for a lot of the game, with Alperen Sengun operating as a four next to Steven Adams. They had played 87 minutes together this season before Sunday, posting a 37.2 net rating in that limited sample size.