The Rockets snapped their two-game losing streak by beating the Denver Nuggets 110-100 on Monday night at Toyota Center. They survived 38 points from Jamal Murray and a 25-point, 16-rebound, eight-assist performance from Nikola Jokic by holding every other Nuggets player to fewer than 10 points.

Five Rockets scored in double figures, led by Kevin Durant’s 23 points. Houston recorded 29 assists on 41 made baskets, and its bench outscored Denver’s 33-22.

Here are three takeaways from Monday’s win at Toyota Center.

Small-ball success

The Rockets played without Steven Adams, Clint Capela and Oscar Tshiebwe, forcing them to go small whenever Alperen Sengun went to the bench. The results were excellent, even with Jokic on the floor. In a game Houston won by 10, the Rockets were plus-13 in 13 minutes with Sengun off the floor and Jabari Smith Jr. playing center.

Denver outscored Houston 20-6 in the first seven minutes of the third quarter to tie the game, prompting a Rockets timeout. Houston went small for the rest of the quarter and closed it on a 17-8 run, with Jokic on the floor for the entire stretch.

"Love the way we responded," Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said. "We became the aggressor. It's obviously night and day when we play like that. You can see the turnovers we create, the physicality there on our end, it turns defense to offense, and really flipped (the game) at that point.”

Sengun was excellent in the fourth quarter, recording nine points, three rebounds and five assists in 11 minutes. He finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

Durant leads the way

Durant’s seemingly limited involvement in the Rockets’ offense was a constant focus during the first 10 games of the season. His 12.6 field-goal attempts per game were five fewer than his career average, and he attempted fewer than 10 shots in three games. Durant was far more involved Monday.

“I don't think it was anything different as far as (the game plan),” Udoka said. “He was handling a little bit more, but we know how Jokic is going to guard him. He's going to be up, and it opens up the pocket.”

Durant scored 23 points in 36 minutes against the Nuggets. His 11-point first quarter helped the Rockets jump out to a 32-24 lead. He shot just 1-of-8 over the final three quarters, but he made all 10 of his free throws and finished with 12 rebounds and eight assists, both season highs.

"I don't want to be a liability out there," Durant said. "Just try to provide as much as I can for the team. My presence can do so much on the offensive end, but also can affect the game on the other side as well. Helping my team rebound, especially when we go small like that, it's been key for us to grab rebounds.”

Winning the non-Jokic minutes

The key to beating the Nuggets is winning the minutes when three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is on the bench. Through their first eight games of the season, the Nuggets had been outscored by just 2.9 points per 100 possessions during those minutes. The Rockets emphatically won that battle Monday.

Houston led by eight after the first quarter, despite Jokic playing all 12 minutes. He sat for the first 5½ minutes of the second quarter, and the Rockets outscored Denver by 10 during that stretch to extend their lead to 18.

Jokic played the rest of the first half, the entire third quarter and the first two minutes of the fourth before briefly checking out. The Nuggets outscored Houston by 12 points during that stretch with Jokic on the floor, but the Rockets outscored Denver by three during the three minutes he sat.