HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant had 23 points and Alperen Sengun added 20 to lead the Houston Rockets to a 110-100 win over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night that snapped a two-game skid.
Denver's Jamal Murray made two free throws to cut the lead to six points with about five minutes left. But Christian Braun missed a pair of free throws after that and Houston got baskets from Sengun and Amen Thompson to push the lead to 100-90 with four minutes remaining.
The Rockets got back on track after losing to Minnesota and Phoenix following a 7-1 start to the season.
Murray had 38 points in his fourth game this season with at least 34 points as Denver’s two-game winning streak ended. Nikola Jokic added 25 points and had 16 rebounds and eight assists.
Four quick points by Murray, with the help of a turnover by Sengun, got the Nuggets within four points with less than seven minutes to go.
But a short basket by Sengun followed by a 3-pointer from Fred VanVleet extended Houston’s lead to 96-87 with 5 1/2 minutes remaining.
The Rockets had a 16-point lead early in the third quarter before the Nuggets used an 18-2 run to tie it at 60-60 with about five minutes left in the quarter.
Jokic, Murray and Cameron Johnson all made 3-pointers to power that run while the Rockets missed nine consecutive shots and had two turnovers. Their only points in that stretch came on a pair of free throws by Durant.
Houston got its first field goal in more than 6 1/2 minutes on a basket by Tari Eason with about four minutes left in the third. That was the start of an 11-2 run that made it 71-62.
Denver visits the Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
The Rockets host Golden State Wednesday night.
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