Denver Nuggets vs Houston Rockets Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/01/2022

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Saturday, January 1, 2022

Venue:  Toyota Center, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  Sportsnet SW

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Nuggets -6, Rockets +6; Over/Under:  NL points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Nuggets NL, Rockets NL; Over/Under:  NL points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Nuggets -6.5, Rockets +6.5; Over/Under:  NL points

 

Denver Nuggets:  17-16 (2nd place, Northwest Division)

Houston Rockets:  10-25 (5th place, Southwest Division)

 

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Denver Nuggets:  6-4 last 10

Houston Rockets:  2-8 last 10

 

 

 

The Nuggets are coming into this game with a 17-16 record overall and they are 9-10 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. Their last loss was against the Charlotte Hornets but they have gone on a 2 game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors in their last game. Nikola Jokic led the team in points in that game with 22 while Will Barton was next on the team with 21 points. Facundo Campazzo led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Jokic led the team in rebounds with 18. They were 41.5% from the field, 24.2% from 3-point range, and 65% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 105.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 106 PPG against them. The Nuggets have an ATS record of 14-19 this season and their O/U record is 17-16.

 

 

The Rockets are coming into this game with a 10-25 record overall and they are 7-8 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They have lost 7 of their last 8 games and are coming into this one on a 5 game losing streak after another loss in their last game. Their last win was against the Detroit Pistons while their 7 losses in that span came against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks, the Chicago Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Indiana Pacers, the Charlotte Hornets, and the Los Angeles Lakers in their last game. They still have a game against the Miami Heat on Friday that still needs to be played with that result pending so this will be the 2nd leg of a back-to-back on Saturday night. In their game against the Lakers, Jalen Green led the team in points in that game with 24 while Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. were both next on the team with 22 points. Porter Jr. led the team in assists in that game with 9 while David Nwaba led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 53% from the field, 45.7% from 3-point range, and 76% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 107 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 114.8 PPG against them. The Rockets have an ATS record of 16-18-1 this season and their O/U record is 19-16.

 

 

The Rockets are coming into this game as a 6 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rockets have not been playing well recently but they have been at their best when they are playing at home and they will have an advantage here as the Nuggets are missing a lot of players and even had to get their game postponed from the other night. The Rockets are missing players as well but they have a lot of their key players in the lineup still. The best bet to place in this game is on the Rockets to cover the spread here as they will take advantage of the Nuggets and their current situation.

 

Nuggets Rockets Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Saturday, January 1, 2022 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Rockets 106 Nuggets 97.

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Denver Nuggets: 8-4 O/U as a road underdog. 16-4 O/U when playing 5 or less games in 14 days. 6-1 O/U after 2 straight games where both teams scored 105 points or less.

Houston Rockets: 11-26 ATS as a home underdog. 30-52 ATS in home games. 13-20 ATS when playing 4 or less games in 10 days. 

 

 

Denver Nuggets:  A. Gordon (PF) Ques Sat - Hamstring injury. V. Cancar (SF) Ques Sat - Illness. M. Morris (PG) Ques Sat - Knee injury. A. Rivers (PG) Ques Sat - Thumb injury. Z. Nnaji (PF) Out indefinitely - Illness. N. Hyland (PG) Out indefinitely - Illness. J. Green (SF) Out indefinitely - Illness. M. Howard (PG) Out Indefinitely - Knee injury. M. Porter Jr. (PF) Out indefinitely - Back injury. P. Dozier (SG) out for season - Knee injury. J. Murray (SG) Out indefinitely - Knee injury.

Houston Rockets:  D. Jarreau (PG) Out indefinitely - Illness. J. Tate (SF) Out indefinitely - Illness. G. Mathews (SG) Out indefinitely - Illness. D. Augustin (PG) Out indefinitely - Illness. J. Wall (PG) Out indefinitely - Holdout.

 

 

 

"I couldn't be more proud of our guys. I thought Will Barton, down the stretch, made a couple of big, big plays." - Michael Malone on his team’s win against the Warriors on Tuesday night.

 

 

"We expected to win. We had no problems standing up to those guys, not backing down. They had some great players out there that played very well. Russ with the triple-double, LeBron with the triple-double and Melo doing his thing. It was tough." - Stephen Silas on his team’s loss against the Lakers on Tuesday night.

 

 

 

PG    Monte Morris

SG    Will Barton

SF     Austin Rivers

PF    JaMychal Green

C     Nikola Jokic

 

PG     Kevin Porter Jr.

SG     Jalen Green

SF     Eric Gordon

PF    Daniel Theis

C     Christian Wood

 

 

PPG: N. Jokic (25.8)

APG: N. Jokic (7.1)

Reb/G: N. Jokic (14)

 

PPG: C. Wood (17.3)

APG: K. Porter Jr. (6)

Reb/G: C. Wood (10.7)

 

Coaches:

Denver Nuggets: Michael Malone (7th season)

Houston Rockets: Stephen Silas (2nd season)