The Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets open a season series Monday night at Toyota Center, with tipoff set for 8:30 p.m. ET. Denver carries a five-game win streak into the matchup, while Houston is trying to snap a two-game skid after dropping its last two outings. The Nuggets vs Rockets preview centers on a crowded Denver injury report and a Houston team that just lost both of its veteran centers to lower-leg injuries.
Denver Nuggets Vs Houston Rockets Game Information
- Date: Monday, Nov. 9
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
- TV/Streaming: ALT2/KTVD, KUSA-TV (9NEWS)
- Series: Season series opener
How Have Both Teams Been Playing Lately
Denver has won five of its last five games, including a 128-109 rout of the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 5 and a 114-102 win over the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 7. The Nuggets sit 5-3 overall and hold a .625 winning percentage, good for fourth in the Northwest Division, 2.0 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their only loss in that stretch came against the Portland Trail Blazers, 118-110, on Nov. 3, a result covered in Portland’s win over Denver.
Houston enters at 7-3 but has dropped two straight, including a 102-99 loss at the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. The Rockets are second in the Southwest Division at .700, one game behind the San Antonio Spurs. Their recent form includes wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder (119-98) and Boston Celtics (109-93) sandwiched around losses to the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Who Is Out Or Questionable For This Game
Houston will be without both of its centers. Clint Capela is out with a right ankle sprain and Steven Adams is out with a right calf strain, with both players carrying a return date of Nov. 11, according to the official injury report. That timeline means neither is expected to be available Monday.
Denver’s injury report is more crowded but less certain. Jamal Murray (lower leg bruise), DeMar DeRozan (back spasms), Christian Braun (calf bruise), Aaron Gordon (lower body) and Cameron Johnson (lower body) are all listed as day-to-day, with Nov. 9 as their return date designation. That status means each is questionable for Monday’s game rather than a confirmed out, and their final availability is a projection until Denver updates its lineup closer to tipoff.
What Are The Expected Starting Lineups
If Murray, DeRozan, Braun and Gordon are all cleared, Denver’s expected starting five would keep its core intact around Nikola Jokic, who leads the team in rebounds (10.1 per game) and assists (9.1 per game) this season. Any absences among the day-to-day group would push Denver into deeper bench options, though the team has not announced specific replacements.
Houston’s projected starting lineup will need to replace both Capela and Adams in the frontcourt. Alperen Sengun, the Rockets’ leading scorer at 21.5 points per game, is expected to anchor the frontcourt rotation with the two bigs sidelined.
By The Numbers
- Points per game: Houston 116.0, Denver 115.3
- Field goal percentage: Houston 47.9%, Denver 48.5%
- Three-point percentage: Houston 37.6%, Denver 36.0%
- Two-point field goal percentage: Houston 54.5%, Denver 56.2%
- Assists per game: Houston 26.8, Denver 27.8
- Turnovers per game: Houston 14.6, Denver 13.6
- Offensive rebounds per game: Houston 12.9, Denver 10.6
- Defensive rebounds per game: Houston 31.1, Denver 32.1
- Steals per game: Houston 8.9, Denver 9.9
- Blocks per game: Houston 6.1, Denver 3.5
What Is The Key Matchup To Watch
Alperen Sengun against Nikola Jokic headlines the matchup, with both players leading their teams in points, rebounds and assists this season. Sengun averages 21.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.8 assists, while Jokic puts up 22.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists to go with 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. With Capela and Adams both out, Houston’s shot-blocking numbers (6.1 per game as a team) could be tested by Denver’s interior scoring, which has produced a 56.2% mark on two-point attempts this season, the better of the two teams’ two-point percentages.
Denver’s defensive rebounding edge, 32.1 per game against Houston’s 31.1, also matters given the Rockets’ center shortage. Houston still holds an advantage on the offensive glass at 12.9 per game compared to Denver’s 10.6, a number worth tracking if the Rockets lean on second-chance points with a thinner frontcourt.
What To Watch
Denver’s five-game winning streak and Houston’s push to stay ahead of Memphis in the Southwest Division give this game standings weight beyond a single night. The Rockets sit just one game ahead of the Grizzlies, while the Nuggets are trying to close a two-game gap on Portland and Minnesota in the Northwest. How Houston’s frontcourt rotation performs without Capela and Adams, and whether Denver’s day-to-day players suit up, will shape how the game plays out. Denver’s next game and Houston’s following matchup were not listed in the available schedule data.
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