Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets: 3 Best Bets for In-Season Tournament Battle
On Wednesday, the Houston Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies in convincing fashion. Tonight, as they host the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, they will need to play perfect basketball if they want to leave Houston with a win.
The Nuggets lost to the Orlando Magic Wednesday night, and are surely looking to secure a win during their repeat title aspirations. To their credit, Houston has lost only one game at home this season, and won’t make winning inside the Toyota Center easy for anyone.
The Rockets are still without Amen Thompson and Victor Oladipo, while Denver won’t play Jamal Murray or Vlatko Cancar.
Both teams have a lot to prove, and the heightened stakes of the NBA In-Season Tournament should set the tone for what should be an intense game. We have our picks, based on the lines and odds from SI Sportsbook.
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The Lines
Point spread: Nuggets -3.5 (-110)/Rockets +3.5 (-125)
Moneyline: Nuggets (-163)/Rockets (+120)
Over/under: 214.5
Our Picks
Safe pick: Alperen Şengün OVER 19.5 points (-110)
In Houston’s win over Memphis, Alperen Şengün was not an impactful player. He scored 11 points on inefficient scoring and added only four rebounds. However, it was easily his worst game of the season, and he should bounce back. Denver does not hang its hat on its defense, so an elite offensive player like Şengün should be able to make the most of his opportunity against the reigning champs.
Opponent pick: Nikola Jokic to record a triple-double (+135)
Nikola Jokic has already recorded six triple-doubles this season, and the only thing stopping him from doing it every night is his lackluster attitude toward individual stats. Otherwise, there’s really nothing stopping him from leading the league in all three categories.
He recorded his sixth triple-double against the Magic and seems to have found his groove. At this point in the season, the assists are the only part of a triple-double not guaranteed, as he has recorded at least ten points and ten rebounds in every game, aside from his early ejection in Detroit.
Team pick: Houston +3.5 (-125)
The Rockets feel home-court advantage more than anyone else in the league, and before they take off for the road it’s only fitting that they play one more solid game. The Nuggets are too good for you to bet on the Rockets' money line. But the Nuggets rarely blow teams out, so Houston should be able to keep it very close, even if they don’t win.