Jokmas rings in this year with a week of big matchups against playoff contenders. In the first of two, the good guys will host the Rockets who come in tied with the Nuggets in the loss column. The teams’ first clash in November was tight but went Denver’s way (112-109) on the back of a 34-point Sombor Double. But the Nuggs have fallen off at home, losing 4-in-a-row at The Can even while peeling off 11 straight road wins, including a 31-point sacking of the Kings on Thursday.
The Rockets have had their share of injuries to shake off, as well, but have won 11 of 14 and look solidified as a top tier contender. They could get Tari Eason back tonight for a needed lift off the bench, but even without him, Fred VanVleet, and Dorian Finney-Smith, the Rockets boast a combination of unique offensive talent in Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun as well as ridiculous size, elite perimeter defense, and best-in-the-league rebounding.
We’ll know a lot more about how these teams matchup by the end of game three on Saturday afternoon.
The Basics
Who: Houston Rockets (16-6) at Denver Nuggets (18-6)
When: 7:30 PM MST
Where: Ball Arena
How to watch/listen: Peacock / Altitude / + / Radio 92.5 FM
Rival Blog: The Dream Shake
The Matchup
| Position | Nuggets | Rockets | Advantage |
| PG | Jamal Murray | Amen Thompson | Nuggets |
| SG | Cam Johnson | Josh Okogie | Nuggets |
| SF | Spencer Jones | Kevin Durant | Rockets |
| PF | Peyton Watson | Jabari Smith Jr. | Rockets |
| C | Nikola Jokic | Alperen Sengun | Nuggets |
| Bench | Bruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jalen Pickett | Reed Shepard, Aaron Holiday, Clint Capela, Steven Adams | Toss-up |
Injury report | Nuggets: Aaron Gordon – out (hamstring); Christian Braun – out (ankle); Julian Strawther – questionable (back)
Rockets: Fred VanVleet – out (ACL); Dorian Finney-Smith – out (ankle); Tari Eason – questionable (oblique)
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: Playoff intensity
The Spurs shook up the league with a Wemby-dominant win against the Oklahoma City Thunder over the weekend. The West is now on notice that there’s another team in Texas ready to challenge the champs—a team that also beat Jokic and Murray in an NBA Cup match without their all-otherworldly superstar. This game provides a chance for the Nuggets or Rockets to reclaim some of the narrative that they are the Thunder’s main challenger and stay in reach of the one seed.
The Nuggets also need to reestablish homecourt dominance at altitude if they’re going to hold off the upstarts in the conference. The Rockets, on the other side, have come up just short against OKC and Denver already this year, so they’ve likely had this week circled as a chance to make a statement and move up the standings. All of this context should set up a high intensity, playoff-quality game between two fun and skilled rosters.
The thing to remember: Both teams are well rested
Adding to the quality and intensity of tonight’s game should be the rest both teams got last week. The Rockets are coming off a weird lull in their schedule. They’ve played only once in 9 days—a 115-113 win over the Clippers on Thursday night. The Nuggets played twice last week but likewise haven’t played since Thursday and have had several days to rest and practice to prepare for tonight. Fresh legs, preparation, some mounting pressure, lots of talent—it should all add up to a fun week of basketball.
The thing to bet: Under on points
The Nuggets and Rockets have top 5 offenses. The Rockets have 6 players averaging double-digit points, and Durant, Sengun, and Thompson are all capable of offensive explosions. The Nuggets have statistically the greatest offense of all-time led by the greatest offensive player of all-time who’s averaging a 30-point triple double and a soon-to-be-all-star PG who is having his best scoring season.
But in the first game, the offenses were kept in check by defensive tenacity and more careful shot selection and ball control. I’d probably zag if the total point line seems skewed toward a showcase of scoring.
