It was less than two weeks ago when the Rockets defeated perennial MVP candidate Nikola Jokic and the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets at Toyota Center. Now, 12 days later, Houston will attempt to do it again from the same building. The rematch also counts toward the league’s 2023-24 in-season tournament standings.
Both the Rockets (1-1) and Nuggets (2-1) already have an in-season tournament loss, so each likely needs a win to have hopes of advancing to the eight-team quarterfinals in early December.
Some good news for the Rockets is that Jamal Murray, Denver’s star point guard, remains sidelined by a hamstring injury. His absence, coupled with Houston’s top-five defense, could give Ime Udoka’s group a chance to primarily focus its strengths on slowing Jokic.
On offense, the Rockets are hoping that Jalen Green — who scored 34 points in Wednesday’s win, with 26 in the second half alone — continues his sudden surge. Houston went 0-3 in its previous road trip, and Green’s struggles were particularly harmful.
Another reason for optimism could be location. For the season, the Rockets are 7-1 at home, while they are 0-5 away from Toyota Center.