The Rockets visit the Denver Nuggets on Monday night in the second game of the NBA’s 2020-21 regular season for Houston. If you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We have the latest point spread, moneyline odds, and over-under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet on BetMGM.
The Rockets remain very shorthanded, with six players again unavailable due to either positive tests for COVID-19 (Ben McLemore, KJ Martin Jr.) or from contact tracing after possible exposure (John Wall, Eric Gordon, DeMarcus Cousins, Mason Jones). In all, Houston should have nine active players, just one above the minimum of eight needed to play.
Available players include guards James Harden, David Nwaba, Sterling Brown, and Brodric Thomas; forwards Danuel House Jr., PJ Tucker, and Jae’Sean Tate; and centers Christian Wood and Bruno Caboclo.
Monday’s tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Central, with the game shown in usual Houston markets on AT&T SportsNet Southwest. Led by rising young stars such as center Nikola Jokic, guard Jamal Murray, and forward Michael Porter Jr., the Nuggets (0-2) are still seeking their first win of the 2020-21 regular season, as are the Rockets (0-1).
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Denver (46-27) and Houston (44-28) finished No. 3 and No. 4 in the Western Conference last year, so both teams expect to turn around their slow starts to the new season in short order. Of the three combined losses by the Nuggets and Rockets in recent days, two of them (Denver to Sacramento, and Houston to Portland) came in the final seconds.
The lines, courtesy of BetMGM
- Point spread: Nuggets -6.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Rockets +220/Blazers -275
- Over-under: 222.5 (-110)
- Player O/U Scoring Props: James Harden 32.5 (-105 O, -120 U), Christian Wood 22.5 (-125 O, +100 U); Nikola Jokic 22.5 (-120 O, -105 U), Jamal Murray 21.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, MI, NV, NJ, PA, TN, and WV at BetMGM.
Advice and prediction
The point spread is tricky. While the Rockets showed promising signs in their narrow overtime loss at Portland, they remain very shorthanded and will be playing in high altitude for their second road game in three nights. That could cause Houston’s nine-man roster to wear down, especially with two key veterans (Harden, Tucker) having missed large chunks of training camp. Peak fitness is likely still a ways away for this group.
The best bet could be for Wood, who scored 31 against the Blazers, to go over his 22.5 points total. At 25 years old and with the benefit of a full training camp, he should be fresher than many of the veterans.
An athletic 6-foot-10 big man, Wood has sparked comparisons to former Rockets center Clint Capela, who often ran circles around the slow-footed Jokic. Unlike Capela, though, Wood also combines his gifts as a roll man with perimeter shooting touch. For a weary and shorthanded Houston squad, Wood’s energy could lead to plenty of scoring chances.
Prediction: 116-108, Nuggets
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
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