Game thread: Nuggets vs. Rockets

Denver Nuggets (26-11) vs. Houston Rockets (22-16), Jan. 7, 2019, 7:00 p.m. CDT

Location: Toyota Center, Houston, TX

TV: AT&T Southwest

Radio: KBME 790 AM/KEYH 850 AM (Spanish)/KNTE 101.7 FM (Spanish)/Streaming on Rockets App

Online: Rockets App

Nuggets SBNation Blog: Denver Stiffs

Projected Starting Lineups

Denver: Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Torrey Craig, Paul Millsap, Nikola Jokic

Houston: Austin Rivers, James Harden, Danuel House Jr., P.J. Tucker, Clint Capela

If you told me four or five months ago that Denver would enter this game as the top seed in the West, I would have laughed in your face.

However, there isn’t much laughing left to be had. Denver is no joke.

I mean, I thought Denver would be good, but not this good. The Nuggets currently hold a 1.5 game cushion atop the Western Conference thanks to one of the deepest rosters in the league led by Nikola Jokic.

Jokic should be in the conversation among the league’s best bigs, as he leads his team in points (18.8), assists (7.5), rebounds (10.0) and steals (1.5) per game. He does everything for Denver and is a great complement to all of Denver’s high-upside guys. There’s a reason why this team is 26-11 to start the season.

One of those 11 losses came at the hands of the Rockets on November 13 in Denver. For the Nuggets, it was their fourth straight defeat after a 9-1 start. For the Rockets, it was their sixth win in their 13 games and the second win of a then-season high five-game winning streak.

Now, the Nuggets have the Rockets in a vulnerable spot without two of their regular starters. Houston’s momentum took a dive when their six-game winning streak was snapped Saturday night in Portland. The Nuggets have a chance to prove that they should take the top spot in the West this season by knocking down last season’s #1.

Should be fun tonight.

Throw down your comments in the comments section, TDS.

Go Rockets!