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The Rockets return to the scene of the crime tonight to take on the Denver Nuggets in the Mile High City.
Okay, so it's not a return to the scene since the first Rockets-Nuggets game was in Houston. But Denver put the Rockets on the slow track of Cranium by hitting them in the mouth to the tune of a 20-point blowout.
Like the Rockets, the Nuggets sit at 4-4 and are in the thick of the (crazy early) playoff picture. Young and determined, Denver is certain to be proud of their new point guard and the fact that their other young players are producing.
Looking at the box score from the opening night meeting between these two teams is like walking into an autopsy where the deceased was shot, run over by a car, and then picked apart by animals. It's ugly and there's no way to distinguish one mistake from another.
Let's go over some of the highlights:
Denver shot 51% overall. There were a lot of dunks. Like, A LOT.
Denver shot 48% from 3. There were a lot of open 3s. Like, A LOT.
The Rockets grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, had 13 steals, had 5 fewer turnovers, shot 8 more free throws, and had 7 fewer fouls than the Nuggets. And they still lost by 20.
With Dwight Howard suspended, Patrick Beverley led the Rockets in rebounds. Six Rockets played more minutes than he did.
Two Rockets shot above 50%. They were Clint Capela and Montrezl Harrell. Speaking of Harrell, he was the only player to end up with a positive +/- for Houston.
James Harden shot 2-12 from 3. Corey Brewer shot 2-12 overall.
The Rockets missed 57 shots.
Marcus Thornton didn't play.
Basically, Denver played the role of Rick and Summer. And the Rockets were everyone that got beat up.
Tonight, the Rockets need things to go differently.
Prediction: Rockets have PTSD flashbacks, lose by 200.
Rockets vs Nuggets coverage