Denver beat Houston by a score of 119-102, even catching some fans off guard. "We knew the lines in Vegas listed us as favorites," said Denver coach Bob. "And we knew we had a great shot going in, but really expected a more competitive game. I don't know whether we were really that good or whether they had something else on their minds. Whatever, we're thrilled to get this kind of win over an excellent team like Houston."

Said Houston star James, "Coach kept yelling at us 'you know you're better than that,' and he was right. We just didn't have the intensity or whatever today, and it showed in our game. The good thing is that we know we can't play much worse than we did out there, and that we could have won if we'd played as good as we're capable of playing."

Denver was led by Hamilton (17 points, 9 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals), Dossman (21 points, 6 boards, 0 assists, a steal, a block), Davis (19 points, 2 assists, a block). Houston was led by James (19 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, a block), Howard (32 points), Conner (27 points, 0 assists).

Denver stand at 22-10 and 13-2 at home after today's victory. They stay at #1 in the Northwest and hold at #2 overall in the Western Conference. Houston stand at 19-12 with this loss. They remain at #1 in the Southwest and hold at #3 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Denver roster Houston roster