Houston Rockets At Denver Nuggets: Game 69: Sneak Peek Analysis
The Houston Rockets were stunned by a crushing defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans last night.
The Houston Rockets were stunned by a crushing defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans last night.
I’m sure the Vegas odds makers weren’t expecting something like this to happen but it did.
The Rockets were dominated inside the paint and their three-ball wasn’t falling all that particularly well.
That usually results in a recipe for a disaster.
But anyway, time to move on and face the 33-35 Denver Nuggets, a team that’s not at full strength with the injuries they have to some of their key starters.
The Rockets should pounce on this!
But you never know what you’ll see.
So what’s next?
So who’s leading the charge for the Nuggets?
Danilo Gallinari leads the team in scoring (17.7 PPG) and Mason Plumlee is in charge of the shot-blocking (0.9 BPG). Nikola Jokic is the top board-getter (9.4 RPG). Jameer Nelson is in charge of the dimes (5.0 APG) and Gary Harris in steals (1.3 SPG).
Let’s talk about what the Nuggets do well.
Their team offense still remains consistently great. The Nuggets are ranked 4th in offensive efficiency, scoring 109.9 points per 100 possessions.
They attack the boards ferociously. The Nuggets are 1st in rebound rate, taking down whopping a 53.6 percent of missed shots.
They keep that ball moving. The Nuggets are 6th in assist ratio with just 18.1 percent of their possessions ending with an assist.
They’re good shooters. The Nuggets are tied for 5th — with the Milwaukee Bucks — in effective field goal percentage (52.9). They’re also tied for 7th — with the Boston Celtics — in true shooting percentage (56.6).
Next: James Harden To Sign A Super-Max Deal In 2017?
Injuries:
Sam Dekker‘s back is acting up on him again and he had to leave last night’s game because of tightness, he will be a game-time decision for tonight.
As for the Nuggets, Danilo Gallinari sustained an injury to his knee and expected to be out until early next week.
Wilson Chandler is battling through a groin injury and not expected to return until early next week as well.
Darrell Arthur is going through the motions of a knee injury and is expected to be a game-time decision tonight.
Source(s): CBS Sports
Matchups to Watch:
- Clint Capela vs. Nikola Jokic
- Patrick Beverley vs. Jameer Nelson
- Ryan Anderson vs. Juancho Hernangomez
Prediction:
120-112 in a Houston Rockets’ win!
The Rockets are back on the road for a short trip to take on the Nuggets at Pepsi Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CDT.
The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME), Sirius/XM/SiriusXM Internet 890 and La Ranchera 101.7 FM (KNTE) & 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.
Go Rockets!