The Denver Nuggets will play their final game of the decade on New Year’s Eve when they take on the Houston Rockets. This marks the first of a season-long five-game road trip for Denver, who will certainly be tested over the next two weeks.
The Nuggets (22-9) are flying high as winners in nine of their last 10 games, but there is still plenty of work to be done to iron out some kinks on the defensive end. In those past 10 contests, Denver owns the league’s top-ranked offense, but the defense has slipped to 17th during this stretch. On the year, the Nuggets have the fifth-ranked defense and 12th-ranked offense as they continue to strive for more balance.
Houston (22-11) enters Tuesday’s matchup having lost two of its past three games. While the Rockets may be without center Clint Capela on Tuesday due to injury, they received a boost recently when Eric Gordon returned from an extended absence. Gordon’s presence could play a pivotal role in the matchup if Denver looks to trap and double-team former NBA MVP James Harden like it did in the first meeting between the two teams, a 105-95 victory for the Nuggets.
After Houston won nine-consecutive games against Denver, the Nuggets have won two of the past three matchups in the series.
Here are some keys to Tuesday’s game:
Will the aggressive defensive scheme work again?
In the first matchup between the two teams on Nov. 20, Denver opted for a very aggressive defensive scheme that brought multiple defenders at Harden when he initiated a pick-and-roll or looked to isolate one-on-one. The scheme was a tremendous success as the Rockets could only muster 95 points, which is still their season-low for points in a game. Harden was limited to just 16 shot attempts on the night (he also committed eight turnovers).
Non-Harden shooters for Houston connected on just 8 of 30 from beyond the arc in that contest and as mentioned earlier, Houston will have Eric Gordon on the court this time around, which could prove to be the difference in Denver’s decision-making on defense. Regardless, look for the Nuggets to continue using the aggressive scheme to begin the game, thus forcing other players to beat them.
Defending the 3-point line
When you think of the Rockets’ style of play, what is the first thing you think of? If you said 3-pointers, you are certainly correct. While some of the players have changed over the years, Houston continues to hunt for 3-pointers each and every game, attempting nearly 45 per game this season.
The Nuggets continue to have the league’s top-ranked defense when it comes to defending the 3-point line, as teams have only shot 31.2 percent from beyond the arc against Denver this season. In the first matchup, Houston shot 12 of 38 from deep, which the Nuggets would like to see again on Tuesday.
Can Porter Jr. build on his career night?
With Denver missing Gary Harris and Paul Millsap on Sunday, head coach Michael Malone opted to insert Michael Porter Jr. into the starting group, and he didn’t disappoint. Denver’s rookie forward dropped 19 points and six rebounds in his first NBA start and will now look to build on that success during this upcoming road trip.
Just to get a sense for how much things can change in the NBA, Porter Jr. didn’t even see the court in Denver’s win over Houston back in November. Now just over a month later, Porter Jr. has carved out a consistent role in the rotation and his playing time continues to grow.
Tuesday’s game will tip at 5 p.m. MT and will air on Altitude and NBA TV (Radio: 950AM).
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