By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic recorded his 25th triple-double of the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season to lead the Denver Nuggets to a commanding 129–93 victory over the Houston Rockets at Ball Arena.
The 31-year-old Serbian superstar was the engine behind the rout, finishing with 16 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds in just 30 minutes of action. Displaying his trademark efficiency, Jokic shot 6-of-12 from the field while anchoring the defense with a season-high five steals and a block.
“I think we played really well, even in the first half,” he said during his postgame media session. “We were the ones controlling the pace of the game, which is something we must continue to do. While they didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, which helped us, I felt we controlled their looks on the defensive end. We were really aggressive, really good. We were really good in the third quarter, offensively, defensively.”
David Adelman’s bench also provided a spark, led by Lithuanian veteran Jonas Valanciunas. The 33-year-old backup center was perfect from the floor, contributing 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting to go along with five rebounds and three assists.
With the win, the Nuggets improve to 40–26 on the season. They now head out for a critical back-to-back road trip, facing the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
The Rockets struggled to find a rhythm in Denver and were forced to 40-25. Turkish starter Alperen Sengun tallied 10 points and three blocks in 24 minutes, while Swiss big man Clint Capela added nine points and seven boards off the bench.