Through 0 Quarter

The experts predicted a victory for the Denver Nuggets, but it’s no sure thing at this point. They currently hold a 3 to nothing lead over the Houston Rockets.

Denver has enjoyed the tag-team combination of small forward Michael Porter Jr. and power forward Aaron Gordon. The former has three points, while the latter has zero points. Houston hasn’t had any offensive standouts so far with all players held to zero points or fewer.

this is the first time they have ever been down going into the first quarter

Who’s Playing

Denver @ Houston

Current Records: Denver 43-19; Houston 13-47

What to Know

After five games on the road, the Houston Rockets are heading back home. They will square off against the Denver Nuggets at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday at Toyota Center. The Rockets have been on the wrong side of a one-way rivalry with Denver and are hoping to record their first victory since Jan. 22 of 2020.

Houston received a tough blow on Sunday as they fell 131-114 to the Portland Trail Blazers. The top scorers for Houston were center Alperen Sengun (17 points), small forward Jae’Sean Tate (17 points), point guard Daishen Nix (16 points), and forward Tari Eason (15 points).

Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Denver ultimately got the result they were hoping for on Sunday with a 134-124 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Center Nikola Jokic had a dynamite game for Denver; he dropped a triple-double on 40 points, 17 rebounds, and ten assists. That makes it 11 consecutive games in which Jokic has had at least 12 rebounds.

The Rockets have to know they’ll be fighting an uphill battle given the ten-point spread they are up against. They have failed bettors playing the spread in their past four games, so buyers beware.

Denver’s win lifted them to 43-19 while Houston’s defeat dropped them down to an irreparable 13-47. Allowing an average of 118.33 points per game, Houston hasn’t exactly asserted themselves on the defensive end. We’ll see if they can patch up the holes in their defense before their upcoming contest.

How To Watch

• When: Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET
• Where: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
• TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Ticket Cost: $6.48

Odds

The Nuggets are a big 10-point favorite against the Rockets, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Nuggets as a 10.5-point favorite.

Over/Under: -110

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Denver have won 14 out of their last 26 games against Houston.

• 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
• Nov 06, 2021 – Denver 95 vs. Houston 94
• Apr 24, 2021 – Denver 129 vs. Houston 116
• Apr 16, 2021 – Denver 128 vs. Houston 99
• Dec 28, 2020 – Denver 124 vs. Houston 111
• Jan 26, 2020 – Denver 117 vs. Houston 110
• Jan 22, 2020 – Houston 121 vs. Denver 105
• Dec 31, 2019 – Houston 130 vs. Denver 104
• Nov 20, 2019 – Denver 105 vs. Houston 95
• Mar 28, 2019 – Houston 112 vs. Denver 85
• Feb 01, 2019 – Denver 136 vs. Houston 122
• Jan 07, 2019 – Houston 125 vs. Denver 113
• Nov 13, 2018 – Houston 109 vs. Denver 99
• Feb 25, 2018 – Houston 119 vs. Denver 114
• Feb 09, 2018 – Houston 130 vs. Denver 104
• Nov 22, 2017 – Houston 125 vs. Denver 95
• Apr 05, 2017 – Houston 110 vs. Denver 104
• Mar 20, 2017 – Houston 125 vs. Denver 124
• Mar 18, 2017 – Houston 109 vs. Denver 105
• Dec 02, 2016 – Houston 128 vs. Denver 110
• Dec 14, 2015 – Denver 114 vs. Houston 108
• Nov 13, 2015 – Denver 107 vs. Houston 98
• Oct 28, 2015 – Denver 105 vs. Houston 85