Updating our coverage of Monday's Nuggets-Rockets clash: Denver (18-6) rides a four-game win streak into Ball Arena against Houston (16-6), but injuries loom large ahead of the 9:30 p.m. ET tipoff.
Building on earlier analysis of this key Western Conference matchup—where Denver's top offense meets Houston's elite defense—new developments include injury updates and betting model insights.
Nuggets host with a 6-4 home record, fresh off a 136-105 rout of Sacramento, but will miss Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Christian Braun (ankle), who combine for over 30 points per game. This tests Denver against Houston's No. 2 scoring defense. Rockets' Tari Eason is questionable (oblique).
Houston's offense has dipped to 115.7 points over the last 10 games from an early 124.8 average. Last five head-to-heads and seven of Houston's last 10 games went under 237.5 points.
SportsLine's model (10,000 simulations) projects 235 total points (under 237.5), with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray below season averages. Denver is a 1.5-point favorite (-115 ML), Houston -104, O/U 237.5.
Stay tuned to the Nuggets-Rockets series for live updates and postseason implications.
