There weren’t many problems for the Nuggets in Houston.

Here are three takeaways from Denver’s 126-111 win Sunday at the Toyota Center:

1. It’s hard to imagine a more impressive start to David Adelman’s time as Denver’s interim coach. The Nuggets went 3-0 in must-win games, and none showing was more impressive than Sunday’s when the stakes were the highest. Even though the Rockets were locked into the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, Houston coach Ime Udoka did the Nuggets no favors by playing his regular rotation until the game was out of hand. All five of Denver’s starters scored in double figures, led by Michael Porter Jr.’s 19 points, and grabbed seven rebounds, while Russell Westbrook led the reserves with 17 points and six assists.

2. Denver was so good in the regular-season finale, it probably hurt Nikola Jokic and Christian Braun’s chances to win individual awards. Jokic was already guaranteed to be the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double but missed out on a chance to post his 35th triple-double of the season as he watched the entirety of the fourth quarter from the bench. He finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block. That’s probably not enough of a statement to catch Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Most Valuable Player race. The Nuggets have been wearing shirts promoting Braun’s candidacy for Most Improved Player, and his 11 points, seven rebounds and six assist are evidence of how much he’s grown since last season, but he watched the fourth quarter alongside Jokic.

3. The final few minutes of the second quarter and the first nine minutes of the third quarter show just how important Michael Porter Jr.’s production is to Denver’s success. Porter had two points, and it was an eight-point game with three minutes until halftime. Then, Porter hit his first two 3-pointers and helped the Nuggets extend the lead to 13 at halftime. Denver’s starting small forward scored 11 more points in the first nine minutes of the third quarter, helping the Nuggets grow the lead to 28. Porter finished with a game-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds and a couple of blocks. That was enough for Porter and the rest of the Nuggets’ key rotation players get most of the fourth-quarter off after a hectic close to the regular season.

NUGGETS 126, ROCKETS 111

What happened: Denver led by 13 after the first quarter and maintained a 65-52 lead at halftime. A masterful third quarter gave the Nuggets a 31-point lead to start the fourth, and the reserves did enough to make sure Denver finished the regular season 50-32.

What went right: Denver’s aggressiveness was rewarded at the line. The Nuggets took 31 free throws, making 26, while Houston went 9 for 14 at the line. Russell Westbrook led all players with eight free throw attempts and only missed one.

What went wrong: No eligible player in Denver’s third unit made a strong case for postseason minutes late. Julian Strawther scored nine points in 10 minutes, but Denver lost his playing time by 19 points. Zeke Nnaji and Hunter Tyson also failed to make a meaningful impact in the final minutes.

Highlight of the night: Jamal Murray saved one of his best crossovers of the season for the final quarter of the regular season. Early in the fourth, Murray grabbed a defensive rebound and started the break down the left side. Then, Murray hit Nate Williams with a right-to-left crossover and got to the basket for a tough layup over Jock Landale.

Up next: The Nuggets will have home-court advantage for their first-round series against the Clippers.