WHAT HAPPENED: The Nuggets lost at Ball Arena for the first time this season, while Houston picked up its first win away from home.

A 13-0 Rockets run in the middle of the first quarter helped the visitors lead by five after the first quarter. The Nuggets needed Kentavious Caldwell-pope’s buzzer-beating 3 to cut Houston’s lead to 52-48 at halftime. Houston extended the lead to 16 late in the third quarter, and Jae’sean Tate’s buzzer-beating 3 gave the Rockets an 18-point lead to start the fourth. The Rockets would lead by as many as 25 before the Nuggets mounted their comeback, closing within nine points with a few minutes to go. That was about as interesting as it would get.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: The Nuggets didn’t go down without a fight. After going down by 25, the Nuggets answered with a 16-0 run to make things interesting in the final minutes. That run came without regular starters Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-pope, neither of whom played in the fourth. Peyton Watson and Reggie Jackson joined Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. for the meaningful minutes of the fourth quarter. After giving up 40 points in the third quarter, the Nuggets held Houston to 22 points in the fourth quarter, a handful of which came off late free throws.

WHAT WENT WRONG: Nikola Jokic’s cold shooting continued as the snow fell outside of Ball Arena. After going 9 for 32 against the Clippers on Wednesday, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he wanted Jokic to shoot 40 times against the Rockets. That might not have been the case after Jokic went 1 for 10 in the first half with just one assist and a couple of turnovers. Things changed for the better after halftime, as Jokic made his first two shots. He finished with 23 points on 9 of 26 from the field with 16 rebounds and five assists.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Those who weren’t watching closely might’ve missed an especially tough finish from Peyton Watson early in the second quarter. Deandre Jordan started the sequence by coming up with a steal and passing it ahead to Watson. The smaller Fred Vanvleet was the only player separating Watson from an easy finish. Vanvleet decided to take a foul as Watson started his euro-step move, briefly knocking the ball free. Watson regained control of the ball in midair and finished through the foul. The three-point play gave Denver a one-point lead.