JOKIC AND MURRAY! Nuggets take down Rockets in CLUTCH NBA Cup Win
Matt Moore and Ryan Blackburn break down an AWESOME Denver Nuggets 112-109 win over the Houston Rockets in the NBA Cup. Nikola Jokic won his matchup with Alperen Sengun, Jamal Murray bounced back in the second half, and the Nuggets defense locked in when needed to get enough stops. Matt and Ryan discuss it all, as well as an unfortunate Aaron Gordon hamstring injury that might hold him out for a while.
05:00 Jokic’s Elite Defensive Anticipation
06:20 Murray, Jokic Show Championship Grit
18:04 Bench, Rotation, and Jonas Struggles
19:19 Three-Point Grifting Critique
24:33 “Jokic’s Burden in Weak Lineup”
27:00 Hurricanes’ Wins vs. Player Health
29:07 “Surviving and Winning Games”
34:33 Ryan’s Nuggets Doubt Reflections
35:51 “Jokic Shines with Strong Defense”
38:53 Denver’s Versatility and Challenges
44:19 “Nuggets’ Strong Start Wins”
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#DenverNuggets #NikolaJokic #NBA
31 Comments
In my opinion, they need a backup PG just to keep Jamal fresh. I think the starting and 2nd unit are too reliant on Jamal being avaliable, which history suggests won't always be the case. We can handle AG going down because guys like Bruce/Spencer/Peyton are so versatile and can play up/down positions. If Jamal goes down, we gotta suddenly rely on Pickett and Strawther, which I think is too big of a downgrade.
Personally, I would see if they could get Ty Jerome for Naji and Strawther. He's ironically injured at the moment, but he proved last year with the Cavs he gonna be a great backup PG. Would also open a roster spot to sign Spencer Jones. With the Grizzleis falling apart, perhaps a few seconds could be enough of a sweetner to get the deal done.
Rockets fan here. Great game guys🤝🏾 We’ll be in Denver for revenge soon🫡🚀
Too many bad plays and easily given points…
Also, Cam needs mental training- too scared… I don’t understand why is he scared like that…
Pwat and help DID shut the water off! Nuggets have played good defense on kd in the past and did qgain, kd is a legend but lets not discredit what Pwat did to say kd just missed shots, he wasnt comfortable and wasnt allowed to get into rhytm
Without Christian braun and AG going down getting a win in Houston is pretty big. It looked like they were going to fold but they locked down and found the path to victory
Zeke and a pic for AD solves a lot of problems. Make it happen!
I'm sorry but if Jokic can consistently play back to backs, there is no excuse for anyone else. Murray has to play. This team gave up 130 on a Bulls B2B at home. They still have a lot to work on, defensive consistency is one of them. Rest comes after all star break.
Yeah give me 6 or 7 games of that come playoffs, what a grind. Hope AG heels up. But those foul calls on 3's were just terrible
They need to move Nnaji and strawther especially since AG is injured now. They need a forward or a backup G that can handle.
Hunter Tyson going for no less than 50 tonight😂😂😂, jk jk, then whoelse would be there to make the kool-aid
Rockets ain’t OKC your gonna have to play better to show me you got what it takes to beat the defending champs and historically all time great defensive juggernaut OKC!!!
Like the opening line. Saw Houston screaming and pumping up but they got rooked.
Cam Johnson as a forward is not strong enough. Him not muscling puts all the strain on AG to be physical and CB also take up slack.
Hes smart, crafty and when he finds a shot he will be good at shooting too but he has GOT to do some light weightlifting. He needs muscle for the position as a forward in the nba.
Even if he works w bands before games it can help. Please DO thst so it takes pressure off our players and he can finish and rebound.
Good hard fought win. The energy was there. Sorry Mat if that was great deference, how the NBA has fallen. Wide open 3's the hole game. Lots of layup's. Guessing we are going to just hope they miss 3's and that's ok just stop foaling them. Maybe instead of these attempted blocks at 3's that rarely ever happens, try just blocking out and play for the rebound instead. I'm seeing more foals on 3 point shots then blocks.
SHOUT OUT TO BRUCY B FOR MISSING ONE OF THE ALL-TIME ALL-TIME ALL-TIME GREAT PASSES FROM THE JOKER… now it won’t make the highlight reels due to his miss!
Id call up Deron. He's averaging like 30 points a game in the G league. He can be a factor if he can show a motor tonight. His down side has been his slowness imo but he seems good at not turning the ball over.
AG will come back next year
Stop with stupid resting in November he did rest last year in November 3 games when he get newborn son and it doesn't affect you in May, for that you should rest in April
Jaylen Picket is good against bad teams
This rest thing is getting nuts. You get a 1 or 2 seed you get 7 or 8 days off prior to b the playoffs and play a weaker 1st round opponent that should lead to less 1st rd games. This is my argument for going for the #1 seed. Would you weather be caught up in a 7 game battle against Houston in rd 2 or an easier opponent and 5 or 6 games before playing OKC. These matter more than days off in November
swipa saying the game would be won on jokic free throws is insane
Ryan Blackburn is truly a negative Nancy. Its hard to watch
Yeah, that dude on the right he’s so negative about the nuggets. I’m pretty sure he’s not actually a nuggets fan. I think he just got hired to do this job to talk about the Nuggets but you can tell he almost like roots against them. That’s why the guy on the left is calling him out. I saw him on with SWIPA and they were picking the Rockets Nuggets game and he picked the Rockets and acted like Denver didn’t even have a chance and even swipa was like what the hell is this dude talking about you could tell that’s what he was thinking like I said I don’t think he’s actually a nuggets fan and some of the thing he’s just being so negative about everything they do. This team is sitting here at 13 and three I think they’re the best team in the NBA. I’m not impressed with Oklahoma City blowing out the worst teams in the league. They’re not playing anyone. Do you guys not remember? The Cleveland Cavaliers were 16 and oh last year, let’s not get caught up at anything they’re doing Denver should’ve beaten Oklahoma City with a shell of the team that they have right now they had them beat they should’ve won that series not could’ve won. They should have won like I said that guy on the right whatever his name is he’s not really a Nuggets fan. You can tell he basically roots against them. He’s always got something negative to say.
Nuggets FO should trade Zeke Nnaji (and draft picks) for Naji Marshall
The Nuggets are not gonna be a foresee. They’re gonna be the number two seat, maybe the number one seed.
0:55 the abusive intentional dead air moment from Matt, you ain’t low! Don’t stand for it Blackburn😂
9:47 Stop Matt Moore.. Peyton impacted him, KD is impacted by defenders in 2025. Watch his games. Peyton affected him getting the ball more than making and missing shots, he kept him off his square a lot of the night
Cam can definitely take sets and run pick n rolls Matt, what are you talking about?
Why that fake buzz over Johnson? If he continues like this, he wont be a starter any more
🔥 HOT TAKE 🔥
I'm concerned about Aaron Gordon. It's the same injury he had last year. We just don't know what grade yet. He had a Grade 2 left hamstring strain during the 2024-25 playoffs against Oklahoma City. He also missed extended time during the regular season with a calf strain.
If Gordon's hamstring injury is recurrent, it could impact his effectiveness and overall career trajectory. The Nuggets might be thinking about whether it's worth keeping him on the roster if he's not going to be a full-time contributor.
Given his age and injury history, the team might be looking to get something out of him while he's still a valuable asset. Trading him could be a smart move, especially if they can get a decent return and address some of their roster needs.
The injury risk is real, and it's something the Nuggets would need to consider. If they're not going to get full value out of him, it might be better to explore options that bring in a healthy player who can contribute now.
Trading Aaron Gordon could free up around $22 million in cap space, considering his current salary is $22,841,455. The Denver Nuggets are currently over the luxury tax threshold, so shedding some salary could help them manage their finances. The Nuggets could potentially offer Watson an extension, but it would depend on their cap situation and priorities.
It's funny..after the Rockets game you guys do a show…. But after getting gamed by Russ.. No show… As a Nuggets fan I just want some consistency