A close-to-perfect night from Cam Johnson was just what he and the Nuggets needed.
“I think sometimes he’s trying to make perfect plays instead of just making the play that’s right there in front of you, (which is) usually the right decision,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said after a 129-93 win over the Rockets.
Johnson’s first season in Denver hasn’t exactly gone as planned. There was a shooting slump to start the season. Right when Johnson was getting back to his old self, a bone bruise in his knee sidelined him for a month. Then ankle inflammation, an injury he’s dealt with throughout his career, flared up, and he dealt with back spasms Monday in Oklahoma City. Wednesday he looked like the player the Nuggets were excited to acquire over the season, finishing with 17 points on nine shots, with four assists, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks without a turnover.
“He had good activity defensively, as the whole team did,” Adelman said.
“Really good to see Cam have a night.”
Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) goes up for a basket between Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić (15) and forward Cameron Johnson (23) in the second half of an NBA game Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
A couple of those assists were extra passes that led to open 3s for Christian Braun, who went 3 of 4 from deep. Braun finished with 19 points on 10 shots with four rebounds, three assists and a steal without a turnover.
“He played really good tonight,” Braun said. “He made a lot of really good plays. … (He) made a really good extra pass a couple of times in a row. That’s the player Cam is. He always makes the right play. We love it when he’s aggressive like he was tonight. We know he’s going to hit shots when we need it.”
The injuries to Johnson and others in the starting lineup left the 30-year-old uncertain of what exactly his role was on the team. It’s starting to come into focus. Denver has had its starting five back together for the last three games for the first time since November.
“There’s definitely still an element of figuring it out. It kind of changes on you a little bit from here to there just based on how we’re playing and who’s playing. Everybody keeps telling me at the end of the day just be myself,” Johnson said.
“That was kind of my goal. At the end of the day, just go out and hoop and have fun. That’s easy to lose sight of in the long term and the short term.”
Jamal Murray led the way for Denver with 30 points, while Nikola Jokic posted another triple-double with 16 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds. He also had five steals.
Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 16 points, while Braun helped keep Kevin Durant to 11 points on eight shots.
With the win, Denver secured the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Rockets. The Nuggets head to San Antonio for Thursday’s game sitting fifth in the Western Conference but just a half game back of the Rockets in third. More almost-perfect games like that from Johnson would help the Nuggets finish in the top four and reach their bigger goals.
“It becomes a personal responsibility of understanding how to be most efficient. When I say efficient, (I mean) efficient in my impact on the game. That’s what I’ve been trying to navigate. Today, take a step. Tomorrow take a step and keep on taking steps,” Johnson said. “Our goals are a lot bigger than tonight. Our goals are to keep playing deep into the spring and early summer.”
NUGGETS 129, ROCKETS 93
What happened: Denver turned a four-point advantage after the first quarter into a 53-47 lead at halftime. The Nuggets increased the lead to 24 after three quarters and cruised to a meaningful victory.
What went right: The Nuggets forced more turnovers in the first quarter (five) than they did all game against Oklahoma City (three). The Rockets finished with 16 turnovers, which led to 18 Nuggets points.
What went wrong: Aaron Gordon wasn’t able to carry over his momentum from the Thunder game. Gordon missed all three of his shots but did grab four rebounds and a block in 22 minutes.
Highlight of the night: Spencer Jones came up with a steal, started the break and found Bruce Brown for a two-handed dunk in transition with a wrap-around pass late in the third quarter.
Up next: The Nuggets quickly headed to San Antonio for Thursday’s game against the Spurs.