Although this regular season stage is still very early and it is difficult to draw any conclusions, it is very likely that these two teams will be direct competitors in securing home-court advantage for the playoffs, and every victory against a direct competitor is worth its weight in gold. This victory would allow the Houston club to secure the 2nd place in the Western Conference and get closer to the L.A. Lakers (12-2), while for the Denver team, a victory would mean catching up with the Rockets in the standings.
Houston Rockets
The Houston club will step into this match aiming for their 9th consecutive victory, which is currently the longest winning streak in the entire league. The Rockets have been playing unstoppable for the past 2 weeks, and many questions about the Westbrook and Harden tandem seem to be working well. On average, during the 8-game winning streak, the Rockets defeated their opponents by a margin of 14.8 points, including the last two victories by an average margin of 23.5 points against strong teams like the Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Westbrook and Harden scored a combined 64 points in the last match against the Trail Blazers, with Harden scoring 36 points and Westbrook adding 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, thus recording a triple-double.
No one is surprised anymore by Harden's 30, 40, even 50-point performances, and all of this seems natural now, but it cannot be denied that this guard is playing a historic season, and if his statistics are maintained until the end of the season, they will undoubtedly enter the NBA history books as one of the best: 39.2 points, 7.6 assists, 5.7 rebounds. Westbrook also adds his share: 21.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game, while the third most important player on the team, Swiss Clint Capela, simply enjoys playing with these two creators: 14.1 points and 13.1 rebounds.
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Denver Nuggets
We talked about how the Rockets will step into the match aiming for their 9th consecutive victory and are currently showing impressive form, but the Denver team should not be underestimated either. Winning 6 of the last 7 games played, the Nuggets players did not do it as easily as the Rockets, but a victory is a victory, and that is the most important thing. On average, defeating their opponents by a margin of 9 points, including the last thrashing with a score of 131-114 against the Memphis Grizzlies represented by J. Valančiūnas, the Nuggets team will aim to defend their home court.
The Rockets have undeniable leaders, and their game plan is quite predictable, while the Nuggets' strengths are completely different. Denver has a much longer bench, and overall, all players on the team know their roles and perform them well; it is not a “all or nothing” show by one player. Nikola Jokic, Will Barton, Paul Millsap, Gary Harris – any of these players can step up and lead the team forward when needed, not to mention other bench players who also contribute. It is worth mentioning that the Nuggets team had 5 different top scorers in 12 games played, which again shows how versatile this team is.
Nevertheless, among the main players who organize the offense and are the first options in the offense, J. Murray (19.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists), N. Jokic (16.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 6 assists), and W. Barton (14.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists) should be mentioned.
Head-to-Head History
The Houston Rockets lead the head-to-head series of the last 5 matches with a score of 4-1, losing only once, last season away, with a score of 136-122. Since the Denver team has practically not changed since last season, and the Rockets have added R. Westbrook, who seems to fit well into the tandem with Harden, it can be expected that the Houston team will have the advantage in head-to-head matches.
Prediction
On one side, we have a team with individually more talented players, with 2 clearly defined leaders and some of the best players in the league, while on the other side, we have one of the most balanced rosters, coached by a great strategist. However, although the Denver team stands in 3rd place in the standings, their game is not convincing, and the victories were achieved against relatively weaker teams, while they lost at home to the Atlanta Hawks team.
The Rockets not only defeated the Clippers, Pacers, Trail Blazers, and Timberwolves teams but did so confidently, demonstrating excellent form. Considering that the head-to-head history between the Rockets and Nuggets is unequivocally in favor of the Rockets, it can be said that the favorites of this match should be the guests from Houston.
Currently, the bookmakers' lines favor the Nuggets team (1.71), while you can get a 2.2 coefficient for the Rockets. At the very least, the odds should be even, and such an opportunity and offered value should be taken advantage of.
