The Denver Nuggets took a harrowing game into overtime and came out the other side of it with a tight 128-125 victory over the Houston Rockets for Denver's fifth-straight win. 

It was a battle of physical titans for 48 minutes and then some. The Rockets are especially known for their size and physicality and it was on full display Monday night. The Nuggets rose to the occasion in response, especially for centers Nikola Jokić and Jonas Valanciunas, who both fouled out by late in overtime. 

The Nuggets knew what they were in for looking at the Rockets on the schedule and while the physicality of Houston made things difficult, they made sure to prepare themselves.

Their endurance was certainly put to the test having to battle through an extra period in overtime and when all was said and done and Denver had held on to the lead, the team was definitely feeling the effects.

"That was a long-ass game," Jamal Murray said (via Nuggets). "They're just really physical, especially in size and it's always a box-out matchup and a fast-paced game. It's always a fun game. We know what it is. It's always physical, it's going to be a game you have to be ready for individually and as a team."

While Murray was ready for rest after the marathon of the game, Jokić was less weary from the matchup, though even the stoic Serbian center was ready to admit to the challenge that the Rockets posed.

"I mean, it’s not really exhausting. It’s just a different style of basketball, you know?" Jokić said. "They are physical, but they are talented too. "They have a lot of talented guys who can do a lot of things on the court. So, it’s definitely a challenge." 

Houston's physicality is definitely something that shows up in their numbers. The Rockets lead the NBA in rebounds for a reason with an average of 48.7 rebounds per game, more than two boards more than the second-best team.

That effort at the rim showed up again on Monday as they out-rebounded the Nuggets 46-38 an especially held the upper hand when it came to offensive rebounding.

Despite this advantage at getting the ball back in their hands, Denver's renowned offense still got got the better of them. Denver held the advantage with 15 three pointers to Houstons 12, so, despite the two teams having equal shooting nights from the field at 51%, Denver managed to maximize their points just enough to hold on to the victory.

Jokić and Murray naturally led the way for the Nuggets offensively with 39 and 35 point performances respectively, but Denver's greatest feat was limiting Houston star Kevin Durant to 25 points overall and keeping him scoreless in overtime. 

"We took KD [Kevin Durant] away, which was the whole point of it," Nuggets head coach David Adelman said.