Rockets Face Uphill Battle Against Dominant Nuggets
DENVER – The Houston Rockets travel to Ball Arena tonight to face the Denver Nuggets in a matchup heavily favoring the reigning NBA champions. Nikola Jokic is currently leading the league in both rebounds and assists, ranking seventh in points, and dominating advanced statistical categories including PER, WS, WS/48, BPM, and VORP.
Denver’s improved bench, bolstered by the offseason acquisition of Jonas Valanciunas, has considerably reduced the team’s performance drop-off when Jokic rests. While not matching Jokic’s impact, the Nuggets’ reserves are proving capable of holding thier own. The NBA schedule notably delays the first meeting between Denver and Oklahoma City until February 1, followed by three games in a six-week span to close the regular season.
Last season, the Nuggets defeated Houston in Denver despite Jokic being sidelined, but lost in Houston with Jokic unavailable. A late-season contest in Houston saw Denver dismantle the Rockets as Ime Udoka used the game as a playoff readiness exercise, a rehearsal Houston didn’t fully recover from before facing Golden State.
Houston will need a strong performance on both ends of the court to compete. Several key players are facing injury concerns: Dorian Finney-smith is out with an ankle injury, while Jabari Smith jr. is listed as questionable with a knee issue and Steven Adams is also questionable due to an ankle injury.
The Rockets will then travel to Phoenix to face the Suns on Monday night.