The Denver Nuggets have nine games remaining in the regular season and one of the more difficult stops to wrap it up will be vs the Houston Rockets. The Nuggets sit a half-game back of the Warriors for top spot in the West but have been an up-and-down bet on the road this season at 19-17 SU and 15-21 ATS in 36 games while dropping their last five games at the Toyota Center.
Oddsmakers think the Rockets will bounce back from their loss in Milwaukee and tabbed them as 5-point favorites with a total of 217.
Nuggets vs Rockets Game Center
STANDOUT STATS
- The Rockets are a league-best 14-4 SU in 18 games since the all-star break but have only covered the spread in eight of those games. In that span, they have a +6.6 point differential while hitting a league-best 16.2 threes per game on 44.3 attempts (also ranked first).
- In three games vs the Nuggets this season, James Harden has averaged 28 points, five rebounds and 11 assists with the Rockets going 2-1 SU and ATS. In his career, the MVP candidate owns averages of 22.8 points, five rebounds and five assists vs the Nuggets (34 games).
- The Nuggets are 8-12 ATS in their last 20 road games. They average five fewer points scored per game on the road compared to home games this season and shoot a woeful 44.7 percent from the field in road games to rank 23rd. They’ve also dropped their last five games in Houston with four of those losses by double digits.
- The Nuggets’ calling card all season has been their defense and since the all-star break, their effort on that end of the floor has carried them to an 11-5 SU record. They’re only allowing 106 points per game while limiting opponents to 31.3 percent from behind the arc (ranked third) on 32.1 attempts (ranked 13th).
- Nuggets road games have a penchant for going UNDER as the totals have hit below what was expected in 23 of their 36 road games. The UNDER has also hit in eight of their last nine away from the Pepsi Center and those games had an average combined score of 216.5.
My Best Bet for Nuggets vs Rockets
Rockets -5
This one will likely be a sweat until the final minutes of the game but I think the Rockets should be able to handle the Nuggets tonight. The Rockets overwhelm teams with their three-point shooting and while I know the Nuggets can usually withstand that type of barrage, this isn’t a matchup that suits them.
Houston is 7-1 SU in eight home games since the all-star break and owns a +8 point differential in those games while holding teams to 105.1 points per game. Their last outing vs the Bucks saw Eric Gordon and PJ Tucker shoot a combined 1-for-13 from behind the arc and I don’t see that happening again.
