The Denver Nuggets haven’t had a merry start this December, but their latest win over the Miami Heat last Thursday has put them in the position to get their first back-to-back wins this month. They have the opportunity to do that when they they pay the red-hot Houston Rockets a visit on Saturday.
Saturday is a good day for basketball fans. Aside from the action from the NBA, there’ll also be a lot of games in the NCAA, including a matchup between the Utah Utes and the Kansas Jayhawks. You can read a preview of that game here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Denver Nuggets vs. Houston Rockets Betting Preview
Where: Toyota Center, Houston
When: Saturday, December 13, 8:00PM ET
Line: Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets– view all NBA lines
Betting on the Denver Nuggets
Whenever the Nuggets make a concerted effort to play defense, good things happen. That’s exactly what happened when they beat the Miami Heat on Wednesday, 102-82, to end their four-game-losing skid.
[sc:NBA240banner ]When the Nuggets limited the Heat down to just 36.6% shooting from the field, it reflected the kind of success they had when they went on a five-game tear back in November. During that stretch, they allowed their opponents to put up just 94.5 points per game on 41.5% shooting.
The Nuggets’ excellent job beneath the boards has powered the team’s high-octane offense in the Miami game. Denver collared 50 rebounds and scored 23 fast break points, completely smothering Miami. Houston is a solid rebounding team, too, but the absence of Dwight Howard will make life much easier for the likes of Timofey Mozgov (7.9 RPG), J.J. Hickson (6.9 RPG), and Kenneth Faried (6.8 RPG).
Along with the team’s rebounding (45.0 RPG), offense has also remained a constant positive factor for the Nuggets, as they are averaging 103.5 PPG. With a roster chock-full of capable scorers and a solid point guard in Ty Lawson (15.9 PPG, 10.3 APG) to maximize them all, the Nuggets are going to be a handful even for a defensive team like Houston.
Wilson Chandler, who top scored for Denver against the Heat with 17 points, has been on fire lately. Chandler is averaging 19.5 PPG thus far this month, which is a notable improvement from his 13.3 PPG average back in November.
The under is 3-1 in the Nuggets’ last four road games.
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Betting on the Houston Rockets
The Rockets are doing an outstanding job of pretending that they don’t need Dwight Howard. At least that’s what their showing with an impressive 8-3 record over the course of an 11-game absence of the All-Star big man because of knee soreness.
In the Rockets’ most recent game, James Harden scored 42 points and added eight assists to lead Houston to a 113-109 come-from-behind victory Thursday over the Sacramento Kings. Harden has stepped up big time during Howard’s absence, as the bearded scoring machine is putting up 28.9 PPG in Houston’s last 11 games. Harden is going to be the same major headache this coming Saturday for a Nuggets team that has played inconsistently on the defensive end.
Harden, however, isn’t the only Rocket that has improved his play to keep the team afloat. One of them is Howard’s replacement in the starting lineup, Donatas Motiejunas. Motiejunas has been making the most out of the increase in minutes that coach Kevin McHale is giving him. Motiejunas is averaging 14.3 PPG and 7.5 RPG since November 19.
Another Rocket to watch out for against Denver is Patrick Beverley. Since returning to the rotation following a six-game absence due to a hamstring injury, the pesky guard has averaged 15.3 PPG and 7.6 RPG. Known for his tough defense in the backcourt, Beverley should be able to give Ty Lawson fits on Saturday.
The Rockets are 3-1 ATS in their last four home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Rockets win, 101-94.
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