When the Nuggets drew within four points with under a minute to play, James Harden signaled to Coach D’Antoni to send Johnson into the game. He did so by pulling Capela. It turned out to be the best move of the game as Denver’s rally effort fell short, forcing it to foul Joe Johnson as he took the inbound pass, to stop the clock.
He made his way to the free throw line, where he calmly knocked down both shots to increase the Rockets lead, 116-110. It would be enough as Houston dwarfed Denver’s comeback to win, 119-114 on Sunday night at the Pepsi Center.
Harden poured 41 points, seven assist and 8 rebounds, Paul added 23 and Ariza scored 14.
The victory gives Houston a 12-game streak and 21-of its last 25 contest. Its record stands at (46-13), the best in the NBA.
Johnson known for his three-point shooting, subbed into the game with 20 seconds left. As he took possession of the inbound pass, immediately Denver fouled with 18.8 left. That landed Johnson at the free throw line where he downed two shots to increase the Rockets lead, 116-110. Paul capped his evening, scoring 23 points, five rebounds, six assist and two steals.
Will Barton led Denver (33-27) with 25 points. Center Nikola Jokic tossed in 21 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assist, Jamal Murray added 19, Trey Lyles chipped in 12, Wilson Chandler tacked on 10.
The trio scored several quick close range baskets to climb back into the game, but Harden and Paul scored crucial baskets to offset the Denver Nuggets, on its way to its 12th straight victory.
Houston led by as many as 18 points after Paul and Tucker scored five quick points and seemed to be on its way to a blowout win, but that changed when the Nuggets responded with a 9-0 run, trimming Houston’s lead, 43-34 with 10:53 left in the second quarter.
The Rockets came out firing on all cylinders. Capela’s one-handed shot, followed a timely Alley Hoop pass from James Harden to open the game, 4-0. Right after, Paul was on the front end of an 8-0 run when he buried a three-pointer. Ariza, fresh off a strained hamstring injury, took a court-long feed from Harden which resulted in a layup. Then Harden closed the run with a trey as the Rockets led 15-5.
Denver struggled to score in the first quarter. It enabled the Rockets to build a 14-point lead, 36-22 after Devin Harris fouled Harden in the act of shooting beyond the three-point line. The Beard converted all three free throws with under a minute left in the first quarter.
The Rockets controlled the flow of the game with its quick paste transition game. It allowed the Rockets to hold a double-digit lead for most of the evening.
Scrappy defense aided the Rockets cause as well.
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