Houston is the next stop on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s award tour.

The Nuggets shooting guard’s defensive assignments during Denver’s 8-1 start to the season have ranged from young stars like Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards to some of the game’s greats like Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Dallas’s Luka Doncic. He’s a big reason Denver’s defensive rating (107.6) is sixth in the NBA. The 30-year-old has almost established a monopoly on the Nuggets’ chain awarded to the team’s best defensive player in wins. But he’s focused on even bigger honors.

“I got one goal, man, either Defensive Player of the Year or first-team (All-Defense),” Caldwell-Pope said after Wednesday’s win over the Warriors. “I’m going to continue to push that envelope.”

Curry still made six 3-pointers but finished with 23 points on 17 shot attempts, not all of which came against Caldwell-Pope. That was more than good enough for David Adelman, who filled in at Saturday’s practice, while Michael Malone watched his daughter’s high school volleyball team at the state tournament.

“Played his ass off. That’s what he does, man. He’s got a one-track mind when it comes to that part of his game. Steph still makes six 3s. Steph’s an all-time great player, but K made him work. That’s all you can ask for, running through screens,” Adelman said.

“K is one of those guys that was built to compete with a guy like that. You’re never going to stop a guy like that, but, man, he’s, as we all know, that’s a championship-level player.”

Caldwell-Pope said after the game that he could physically feel the difference between a Warriors game and the running he does in a typical game. He put the days between Wednesday’s win and Sunday’s game in Houston to good use.

“We had a few days off just to get some rest, just get some weightlifting, cold treatment, whatever it may be just to recover,” Caldwell-Pope said Saturday.

“I feel great now, though.”

That’s good news for the Nuggets as they prepare to take on a Rockets team that’s off to a 5-3 start. Houston has a couple of guys that can be a problem for opposing defenses. Jalen Green is a young and explosive talent, while Fred VanVleet is a veteran who’s mastered some of the more nuanced aspects of scoring.

“Just being patient,” Caldwell-Pope said when asked what makes VanVleet such a tough assignment. “Like, he don’t let anyone take him outside of his game. He takes care of the ball, tries to get his teammates involved. He’s a winner.”

Adelman said the Nuggets will pick between those two and Dillon Brooks when it comes to Caldwell-Pope’s assignment to start the game. But there’s no guarantee he’ll spend the whole game guarding the same player.

“With that team, they’re really unique,” Adelman said. ”You see him move to somebody else if his matchup happens to not be the guy that’s got it going that night. K is going to move to whoever that guy is in the fourth quarter or second half. If it’s Jalen Green, if it’s VanVleet, if it’s Dillon Brooks … K will find that guy.”

Holidays in Houston

Sunday’s game will be a family affair for the Holidays.

Nuggets wing Justin Holiday is the older brother of Rockets guard Aaron Holiday.

“I love playing and being part of games against my brothers, just being able to see them. The hard part about those games is wanting to beat them, and trying not to cheer for them when they do something well. You can catch me on the bench sometimes,” Justin said after Saturday’s practice, mimicking a muted celebration.

“I love being able to just be around my brothers. Hopefully they play well and lose. That’s what I go for.”

When asked if the fraternal bond meant he watched more of the Rockets than other teams, the oldest of the three NBA brothers – Jrue is Boston’s starting point guard – Justin said a different kind of familial obligation prevents that from being the case.

“I have two daughters at home. I’m usually either doing something with them or watching whatever they want to watch,” Justin said.

“When I was younger, I was immersed in this game, and it was unhealthy for me. I had to learn ways to figure that out.”