Houston Rockets (40-24, third in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (39-26, sixth in the Western Conference)
Denver; Wednesday, 10 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Nuggets -5.5; over/under is 228.5
BOTTOM LINE: Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets take on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.
The Nuggets have gone 23-14 against Western Conference opponents. Denver averages 120.3 points while outscoring opponents by 3.7 points per game.
The Rockets have gone 22-18 against Western Conference opponents. Houston is 15-7 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 14.7 turnovers per game.
The 120.3 points per game the Nuggets average are 10.6 more points than the Rockets allow (109.7). The Rockets are shooting 47.6% from the field, 0.5% higher than the 47.1% the Nuggets’ opponents have shot this season.
The teams play for the fourth time this season. In the last matchup on Dec. 20 the Rockets won 115-101 led by 31 points from Durant, while Jokic scored 25 points for the Nuggets.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jokic is averaging 28.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 10.3 assists for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray is averaging 23.8 points over the last 10 games.
Amen Thompson is scoring 17.7 points per game and averaging 7.6 rebounds for the Rockets. Durant is averaging 26.6 points and 6.1 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 4-6, averaging 119.7 points, 46.4 rebounds, 28.2 assists, 6.5 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.3 points per game.
Rockets: 6-4, averaging 115.2 points, 47.0 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 7.7 steals and 5.8 blocks per game while shooting 50.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.9 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Jamal Murray: day to day (ankle), Cameron Johnson: day to day (back), Peyton Watson: out (hamstring).
Rockets: Jae’Sean Tate: out (knee), Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
