FILE–Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets. C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images/AFP
Nikola Jokic and Facundo Campazzo each recorded double-doubles and the short-handed Denver Nuggets cruised to a 124-111 victory over the host Houston Rockets on Saturday.
Jokic tallied 24 points and 11 rebounds while Campazzo paired a career-high 22 points with 12 assists for the Nuggets, who received 16 points and seven boards from Aaron Gordon, and 12 points from Will Barton. Campazzo also had five steals.
The Nuggets, who led by as many as 31 points, were missing eight players — four sidelined by league health and safety protocols.
Denver enjoyed a 35-point turnaround in the first half that featured a 21-2 run in the second quarter. The Nuggets trailed by a point after the first quarter.
24 PTS | 11 REB | 66.7 FG%
25th double-double of the season for the MVP 😤#NikolaJokic #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/qn4p8f9us1
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 2, 2022
Rookie Jalen Green paced Houston with 29 points but the Rockets found precious little offense elsewhere in their seventh consecutive loss.
The Nuggets endured a ragged offensive start, missing 8 of 9 shots while falling into an 11-point hole. Jokic got Denver back on track, starting with a pair of free throws before scoring on three consecutive possessions. His layup at the 4:48 mark cut the deficit to 19-14, and when Campazzo closed the opening frame with a three-point play, Denver trailed 31-30.
Campazzo opened the second quarter by assisting on a Vlatko Cancar 3-pointer that gave the Nuggets their first lead. Denver was off to the races immediately thereafter, making 12 of 16 shots while building a 20-point lead at 62-42 on a Barton stepback with 4:21 left in the half.
What an all-around game for @facucampazzo as the @nuggets win on the road.
22 points (career high)
12 assists
5 steals
2 blocks pic.twitter.com/fPjZAmNIkD— NBA (@NBA) January 2, 2022
Denver shot a remarkable 73.9 percent in the second quarter, making 17 of 23 shots overall and 6 of 12 from behind the arc. Jokic carried Denver back into contention in the first quarter but tallied only four points in the Nuggets’ 47-point second quarter as four Nuggets reached double figures by the intermission.
Jokic tallied 14 points and Gordon shot 6 of 9 prior to the break while Campazzo paired 13 points with eight assists.
The Rockets, meanwhile, bogged down offensively in the second quarter, going more than eight minutes without a point from someone other than Green en route to shooting 5 of 17.
Green scored 13 points in the frame, 10 at the line, but it wasn’t enough to keep Houston close.