Wednesday, November 07, 2001 - HOUSTON - The Denver Nuggets got more scoring from Nick Van Exel, a breakout game from Raef LaFrentz and other needed scoring Tuesday night. What the Nuggets couldn't find was the defense to stop the Houston Rockets down the stretch during a 99-93 loss at the Compaq Center.

After being down as many as 16 points, the Nuggets (1-3) took their first lead, 79-77, on Scott Williams' jumper with 9:32 left. But the Rockets (4-1) finished with a 22-14 run and are off to their best start since the 1998-99 season. The Nuggets lost their third consecutive game and snapped a three-game winning streak in Houston.