Overview
- Tip-off is Monday at 9:30 p.m. EST at Ball Arena, with Denver at 18-6 in second place and Houston at 16-6 in third in the West.
- Denver has dropped four straight at home but carries an 11-game road winning streak into this return to Denver.
- The Nuggets remain without Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Christian Braun (ankle), while the Rockets are missing Fred VanVleet for the season and Dorian Finney-Smith, with coach Ime Udoka hopeful Tari Eason is cleared to return.
- Houston enters after a light week that featured only one game, boasting a top-two defensive rating and the league’s best offensive rebounding rate.
- Denver won the first meeting on Nov. 21, 112-109, behind 34 points from Jokic, while Reed Sheppard led Houston with 27.