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Nuggets vs. Rockets NBA Odds Preview and Game Analysis
Unlike most of their losses this season that have been blamed on the players, Denver’s 92-81 defeat to Memphis on Monday was largely attributed to the front office’s decision to unnecessarily rest the team’s key players. In Monday’s game, Nuggets interim Head Coach Melvin decided to sit three healthy players on the bench, in spite of those players not wanting to be out of the game. With the decision to rest the players being heavily criticized by many basketball pundits, it remains to be seen the type of fielding that will be done in Thursday’s game against Houston. Back to our more pressing issues, the Nuggets will be hoping that Thursday’s game in Houston offers them some relief from their off-field drama. When Denver last played Houston on March 7th, the Rockets controlled the game rather easily, as Houston’s James Harden scored a game-high 28 points, Corey Brewer added 24 points, while Trevor Ariza and Donatas Motiejunas added 19 and 18 points respectively to lead the Rockets to a 114-110 victory. The Rockets are coming off two huge victories against the LA Clippers on Sunday and Orlando Magic on Tuesday, with Harden and Co. continually playing impressively and sharing the points quite admirably. If Denver is to find a solution to the problematic Rockets, there’ll be an important need for the Nuggets to break Houston’s 10th-ranked passing game. Moreover, most of Houston’s players are good free-throw shooters, making them dangerous on the line. For example, against the Clippers, Harden (the league’s best free-throw shooter) had a big game, scoring 34 points, but most notably nailed 17 of his 18 free throws, which proved to be very crucial in their marginal 100-98 victory. The Nuggets will thus have to avoid fouling the Houston players too often.
Conversely, the versatility of Denver’s Wilson Chandler (scored a team-high 26 points against Houston on March 7th), Jameer Nelson (scored a team-high 24 points against Memphis on Monday) and Ty Wilson (Denver’s leader in scoring, assists and steals this season) is something they Rockets will need to be mindful of. Furthermore, prior to Monday’s loss, the Nuggets had won four games in a row (including wins over Atlanta and Golden State), so the Rockets shouldn’t underestimate the Nuggets, or else Denver could easily deliver an upset.
Key Betting Trends
• Denver is 2-2 SU and 4-0 ATS in its last 4 road games • Houston is 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS in its last 5 home games • Both Denver and Houston are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games • Denver is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games • Houston is 6-4 ATS in its last 10 games • Denver is 5-5 SU and 6-4 ATS in its last 10 games against Houston • The total has gone OVER in 3 of the last five games between Denver and Houston • The total has gone UNDER in 22 of the last 34 Houston home games
