The Houston Rockets face the Denver Nuggets square off in a battle of Western Conference playoff contenders on Tuesday in Mile High.
The Rockets are coming off a 12 point win over the Indiana Pacers while the Nuggets are fresh from a seven point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
The Rockets are still struggling to find their form this season and now they’re involved in a drama involving forward Carmelo Anthony. Anthony is rumored to be on the way out of Houston after just 10 games played. The 10 time All-Star has been listed as out with “illness” in the Rockets’ last two games but according to rumors, he has been told by management that his time with the team is up.
Despite having a high powered lineup led by Chris Paul and James Harden, the Rockets have struggled offensively this season, averaging just 102.9 points per game or 29th in the entire NBA. Houston also lags in the assists department as they rank 29th with 19.8 dimes per contest. On the defensive end, the Rockets allow the 7th most points in the league at 107.3 and are ranked just 25th in rebounding with 42.0 per game.
Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets 11/13/18
Moneyline Odds: Rockets +150, Nuggets -170
Odds from GTbets as of 11/13/18
The Denver Nuggets were one of the fastest teams off the block as they opened the season with an impressive 9-1 record. But since then, Denver has fallen off the track as they have lost three straight games including two consecutive at home. With last season’s best regular season coming to town on Tuesday, the Nuggets hope to rediscover their form get back on track.
Denver ranks 17th in the league in scoring at 109.9 points per game but are 11th in assists at 24.5 assists per outing. The Nuggets have the 4th best scoring defense in the NBA, allowing just 103.5 points per game. They also rank 6th in rebounds at 47.7 caroms per contest. But the Nuggets are only 26th in the league in three point makes and three point percentage at 9.3 and 32.6%, respectively and that’s one of the main reasons why they’ve struggled as of late. Denver shot 5-18 from deep against the Nets and 8-32 against the Grizzlies and lost both games.
The Rockets are 4-2 SU in their last six games played and 3-2 SU in their last 5 games played on the road. The Nuggets are 2-3 SU in their last five games played and 3-2 SU in their last five game played at home. Head to head, the Rockets are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games against the Nuggets, winning the last seven games played between these two teams. Houston is also 3-2 SU in their last 5 games in Denver.
As for the Rockets well, Houston we have a problem. The Rockets aren’t in synch and now this drama surrounding Carmelo Anthony is only an added distraction. No question the Rockets have one of the best 1-2 punch in the league in Harden and Paul but they cannot do it by themselves. The other Rockets need to step up and help those two win games for them. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long season.
We’re picking the Denver Nuggets to beat the Houston Rockets on 11/13/18.
The Rockets are 4-8 ATS in 12 games played this season, 3-4 ATS in their seven road games this season and 2-3 ATS in their last 5 games played. On the other hand, the Nuggets are 7-6 ATS in 13 games played this season and 5-3 ATS at home so far this year. Head to head, these teams have split their last 10 meetings ATS at five games apiece but the Rockets are 3-0 ATS in their last three meetings.
Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets 11/13/18
Spread Odds: Rockets +4 (-109), Nuggets -4 (-109)
Odds from GTbets as of 11/13/18
The Nuggets are playing excellent defense right now while the Rockets are having problems putting points on the scoreboard. I don’t see the same focus I saw a year ago in the Rockets. Meanwhile the Nuggets are aching to finally barge into the playoffs after missing out in the last couple of years.
Prediction: Nuggets -4
The under is 4-1 in the Rockets last 5 games played and the under is also 4-1 in the Rockets’ last five road games. The under is 8-4-1 in the 13 games played by Denver this season. The total has gone over in 3 out of the last five games played by the Nuggets and and the over is 3-2 in Denver’s last five home games. Head to head, the total has gone over in 2 out of their last 3 meetings. The over is also 7-3 in their last 10 meetings in Denver.
Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets 11/13/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 213.5 -109, Under 213.5 -109
Odds from GTbets as of 11/13/18
The Rockets still have their all-star duo but even then, their offense has hit a funk this season. The Rockets are 29th in the NBA in scoring and 28th in pace. Meanwhile, the Nuggets can always take advantage of Houston’s poor defense but they can play methodical basketball too using the 4th best scoring defense in the NBA.
Prediction: Under 213.5
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