The jokes are just that, at least for now.

“He left us, so bye-bye,” Nuggets center Nikola Jokic said of former teammate and fellow champion Jeff Green following Sunday’s game.

“He’s not getting the ring.”

That remained the case Wednesday. The veteran forward played his first game back in Denver, but the planned ring ceremony got pushed back from right before tipoff to halftime. Then, it was delayed altogether until the Dec. 8 home game against Houston.

“Just a miscommunication, but that happens, you know. I don’t want people to take it out of proportion,” Green told the Denver Gazette after the Nuggets’ 134-124 win over Houston. ”The jeweler has the ring. I don’t know what his travel schedule was, but it was something that maybe he forgot to ship. We come back here next Friday. I’m pretty sure I’ll get it then.”

A little extra wait wasn’t an issue for the man known as “Uncle Jeff” around Denver.

“I waited 17 years to this point. To wait one more week to get it, I’m not stressing at all,” Green said. “I know it’s here. It’s available. Just wait another week, I’ll get it. I’ll have my moment and celebrate with everybody. This gives me an opportunity to have my family here as well to enjoy the moment. I think that will be great in itself.”

The Rockets forward received a nice ovation from the crowd when he checked into the game for the first time with a few minutes left in the first quarter. Green’s first bucket back in Denver was a 3-pointer late in the first quarter, and he followed with a fadeaway jumper early in the second and had eight points and a couple of assists at halftime. He finished with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal.

After being a key reserve and important part of Denver’s locker room the last the last couple of seasons, Green signed a two-year contract worth $16 million this summer. He cited his history with Rockets coach Ime Udoka and Houston’s other offseason signings as reasons why Houston was an appealing option in free agency.

The veteran forward had the best game of his short stint with the Rockets against Denver earlier this month when he had 15 points and four rebounds off the bench. Udoka said pregame that Green is providing a young Rockets roster with a lot of the same things he gave to the Nuggets.

“Leadership, veteran experience, championship experience,” Udoka said.

“That’s been great for us.”

After his pregame warmup on the court, Green and DeAndre Jordan embraced. He was then greeted by Nuggets coaches, executives and fans as he made his way back to the visitor’s locker room for the first time as a former Nugget.

“I didn’t think he really deserved one. He left this summer, so I’m surprised that we made that decision,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone joked pregame, still thinking Green would get his ring Wednesday, before turning sincere.

“It’s really special. Jeff is a huge part of last year’s run and winning a championship. Obviously, that was on the court. That was off the court. That was leadership, mentorship. I think one of the more pivotal things that happened in our playoff run was we go to Miami, and he has the whole team at his house after losing Game 2 at home. … We love Jeff. We miss Jeff. We all stay in touch with Jeff. He fully deserves all the recognition he’s going to get tonight. I know that all of our fans will give Uncle Jeff a lot of love.”

The Nuggets mobbed Green after the game. Though he doesn’t physically have his ring yet, he’s seen photos of the 16-carat ring, a nod to the 16 postseason wins, that features the Nuggets’ logo. He’ll get his hands on his own in a little more than a week, as long as the jokes stay jokes.

“I haven’t seen it in person. I don’t want to see it in person until I officially got mine,” Green said.

“Seven days.”

NUGGETS 134, ROCKETS 124

What happened: A complete offensive effort helped Denver improved to 9-0 at Ball Arena to start the season. The Nuggets needed fewer than five minutes to create a 12-point lead. Denver led by as many as 19 in the first and was up by 15 to start the second. Houston got hot early in the second and closed within eight early in the second, but the hosts stretched the advantage to 76-59 at halftime. The Rockets scored 38 points in the third quarter to cut the margin to 11 to start the fourth. The lead stayed in double figures throughout the fourth quarter, and Denver’s reserves handled the final few minutes.

What went right: Denver enjoyed the benefits of taking care of the ball. The Nuggets finished with 37 assists and just three turnovers in the game. Nikola Jokic finished with 15 assists to go with 32 points and 10 rebounds, his seventh triple-double of the season. Jamal Murray added six assists, while Michael Porter Jr. and Justin Holiday added five and four, respectively. Christian Braun committed two of the turnovers with Collin Gillespie responsible for the third in the final minutes. The ball movement produced 19 made 3-pointers for Denver. Porter hit seven to finish with a game-high 30 points.

What went wrong: After a decent first quarter, Denver’s defense disappeared in the second and third. Houston scored 26 points on 52.4% from the field in the first. The Rockets then scored 33 points in the second and 38 in the third to hang with the Nuggets. Jalen Green, who led the Rockets with 26 points, scored 19 in the third quarter alone.

Highlight of the night: Jamal Murray hit quite the shot after a scare. After missing the last 11 games with a hamstring strain, Murray limped toward the huddle two minutes into the game. He stayed on the court after the timeout and hit a 3 from the midcourt logo to beat the shot clock on the next possession. The 37-foot 3-pointer was the first bucket of Murray’s return and gave the Nuggets an early 8-3 lead.

Up next: The Nuggets head to Phoenix for their first meeting the Suns on Friday, the start of a four-game road trip.