3rd Quarter Report
The Rockets and the Nuggets have shown up to the match, but their offenses sure haven’t. The Rockets are fully in control with a 102-82 lead over the Nuggets.
The Rockets entered the contest having won four straight and they’re just one quarter away from another. Will they make it five, or will the Nuggets step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Houston Rockets @ Denver Nuggets
Current Records: Houston 26-12, Denver 24-15
How To Watch
- When: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 9 p.m. ET
- Where: Ball Arena — Denver, Colorado
- TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $14.70
What to Know
The Nuggets will be in front of their home fans on Wednesday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. Having just played yesterday, they will get right back to it and host the Houston Rockets at 9:00 p.m. ET at Ball Arena. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.
On Tuesday, everything went the Nuggets’ way against the Mavericks as the Nuggets made off with a 118-99 victory. The oddsmakers were on Denver’s side, but they didn’t give the team enough credit as the margin was unexpectedly wide.
Jamal Murray was nothing short of spectacular: he went 18 for 26 en route to 45 points plus six assists and two steals. What’s more, he also posted a 69.2% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in February of 2024.
Meanwhile, the Rockets posted their closest win since November 10, 2024 on Monday. They had just enough and edged the Grizzlies out 120-118. Houston was down 91-78 with 1:53 left in the third quarter but they still came back for the handy two-point victory.
Jalen Green had a dynamite game for the Rockets, going 13 for 18 en route to 42 points. Green’s evening made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least 30 points.
The Rockets smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds (they’re ranked first in offensive rebounds per game overall). That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least 14 offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.
Denver’s win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 24-15. As for Houston, they have been performing well recently as they’ve won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 26-12 record this season.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: The Nuggets have been crazy accurate this season, having nailed 49.9% of their field goals per game (they’re ranked second in field goal percentage overall). It’s a different story for the Rockets, though, as they’ve only made 44.5% of theirs this season. Given the Nuggets’ sizable advantage in that area, the Rockets will need to find a way to close that gap.
The Nuggets came up short against the Rockets in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, falling 114-106. Can the Nuggets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Houston is a slight 1-point favorite against Denver, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line on this game has moved a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Nuggets as a 1-point favorite.
The over/under is 231 points.
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Series History
Denver has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Houston.
- Dec 08, 2023 – Houston 114 vs. Denver 106
- Nov 29, 2023 – Denver 134 vs. Houston 124
- Nov 24, 2023 – Houston 105 vs. Denver 86
- Nov 12, 2023 – Houston 107 vs. Denver 104
- Apr 04, 2023 – Houston 124 vs. Denver 103
- Feb 28, 2023 – Denver 133 vs. Houston 112
- Nov 30, 2022 – Denver 120 vs. Houston 100
- Nov 28, 2022 – Denver 129 vs. Houston 113
- Mar 04, 2022 – Denver 116 vs. Houston 101
- Jan 01, 2022 – Denver 124 vs. Houston 111
