Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets
Monday, 2/7/11, 9:00 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: Denver -6.5
Current Betting Line: Denver -5.5
Opening Total: 218
Current Total: 218.5
Houston has dropped four of the last five meetings against Denver, but hopes that it can build off a 95-93 overtime win over Memphis on Saturday. “We needed this game, big-time,” said Luis Scola. “This team is right ahead of us, or one of them. If you want to be in the playoffs, you need to beat them.” The Rockets are 24-28 overall on the season, including a 6-12 mark against Western Conference opponents on the road. In order to improve upon that particular mark, the defense must improve its play, allowing an averaging of 104.7 points on the season. The stop unit has been even worse against tonight’s opponent, surrendering 110.0 points in two losses during the 2010-11 campaign. Houston is 15-12 ATS on the road this season and currently receiving points on the NBA lines page.
The Rockets hold a 81-74 all-time advantage over the Nuggets, but are just 31-46 on the road. Houston actually dropped a home opener for the first time since 2003 versus Denver to open the season, allowing Carmelo Anthony to score a game-high 33 points in a 107-94 loss. Offensively, the team is relying heavily on the scoring ability of guard Kevin Martin, who managed to score 31 points last time out. He has gone perfect from the free throw line in 41 attempts this year. Houston is 3-11 when Martin fails to reach 20 points.
Denver tallied a 113-100 win over Minnesota on Saturday and hope that Anthony is able to return to the floor in perfect condition after a day off. He had scored 25 points on 9 of 12 shooting through three quarters of the game, only to leave with a right elbow injury in the final period. Luckily the defense was up to the task for most of the night and the squad hopes it can build upon the effort. “I thought our offense had rhythm to it the whole game,” said coach George Karl. “We had a bad defensive quarter in the third quarter, but came back with a good defensive quarter in the fourth quarter.” Denver is 23-26 ATS on the season.
The Nuggets own a solid 30-21 overall record and have posted a 21-5 mark at the Pepsi Center. Surprisingly enough, Denver is just 8-7 when hosting Houston in the last 15 meetings in the Mile High City. A win tonight would ensure the squad its second-straight season series win over Houston. Much of the team’s success hinges on its offensive play, coming into tonight’s contest leading the league in scoring at 107.6 points per game. Denver has scored 110-plus points in 21 games this season.
Bettors will be interested in backing the Nuggets due to their 10-2 ATS mark as a favorite, while the Rockets are 1-3-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
