The Denver Nuggets were defeated 86-105 by the Houston Rockets in the In-Season tournament, their second defeat of the season. Despite Nikola Jokic’s usual domination, the result arrived. As a result, the Nuggets have been eliminated from the In-Season tournament. The Nuggets, who are now third in their West Group B, have no chance of finishing second, which would have qualified them for a potential wildcard admission into the knockouts.

According to NBA.com, the Nuggets have a 2-2 record in the In-Season tournament, and the loss to the Rockets means they also lose the head-to-head. This means they can’t finish second even if the Rockets lose their last group stage game to finish 2-2, as the Nuggets did.

The loss was caused by Denver’s players’ poor shooting performance. Nikola Jokic closed the night with 38 points, 19 rebounds, and 8 assists, but it wasn’t enough to keep the game from being a blowout. The Nuggets were always going to struggle for a win with a shooting efficiency of 34% and a 3-point percentage of 23.3%.

They fell behind by 10 points in the first quarter and by 17 points in the second. The Rockets held off a third-quarter charge, with Jalen Green scoring 25 points and Alperen Sengun adding 21 points and 15 rebounds. As the Nuggets struggled on a bad night, Fred VanVleet returned with a double-double of 17 points and 11 assists.

As a result, Nikola Jokic and his teammates will not participate in the tournament’s knockout stages in Las Vegas next month, which are scheduled to begin on December 4. Instead, they will have to compete for a playoff spot. In terms of their Playoff hopes, the Nuggets will be unconcerned about the loss. The defending champions are now missing standout guard Jamal Murray and have failed to finish the season with a 10-6 record.

Michael Malone accepts blame for the Denver Nuggets’ loss to the Houston Rockets.

Most supporters will not be bothered that the Nuggets will no longer compete in the In-Season tournament. However, the manner in which the loss to the Rockets occurred will concern fans.

Despite Nikola Jokic’s best efforts, the Nuggets struggled to make baskets and were continually outhustled by the Rockets. According to the Denver Post, Michael Malone claimed blame for the loss after the game, alleging that he did a bad job of coaching his squad that night.

“We were all struggling tonight.” I performed a terrible job coaching this team. So this isn’t just about the athletes; it’s about all of us. “It all starts with me as the head coach, 1-4 on the road trip,” he explained.

The rest of the team appeared to accept responsibility as well. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who finished with 20 points, said his team needs to be more aggressive and active in transition, and that they simply did not get in the ideal areas to score too often. Jokic and the Nuggets will seek to swiftly put the loss behind them when they face the San Antonio Spurs next.