Rockets Host Nuggets, Hope New Year Brings New Results
Starting Off Right. No Joke. Digging for Victory.
Houston kicks-off 2022 with a home matchup against the Denver Nuggets. The Rockets begin the New Year already facing a challenge they’ve yet to climb this season: winning the second part of a back-to-back. Denver comes into town mightily short-handed, having just signed three players you’ve never heard of (Rayjon Tucker, Carlik Jones, and Davon Reed) in order to make the eight-player minimum requirement. The Nuggets last game on Thursday, against the Warriors was postponed because Denver was so COVID-riddled. Their last two wins are impressive though, road victories over the Clippers and Warriors. Houston will have to fight fatigue against a very rested Nuggets team who hasn’t played a game in four days.
The Rockets are trying to snap a six-game losing streak, and begin the New year in winning style. To do this, they’ll need a bounce back performance from Kevin Porter Jr., who struggled on Friday against the Heat. And they’ll need a big night from Christian Wood, who’s tasked with containing last season’s MVP, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, aka “The Joker”. Alperen Sengun will also miss his first game of the season with an ankle injury, so Houston is extra thin in the interior tonight. Garrison Matthews is still in health-and-safety protocols, but other than Garry Bird and Sengun, the Rockets are fully-healthy.
Can Houston throw enough bodies at The Joker to stop the Nuggets? The key to starting 2022 off right might be starting off the game right for these Rockets, who’ve developed the bad habit of digging holes they can’t overcome during this losing streak. If Houston can avoid a large deficit before halftime, and stay within striking distance as the fourth quarter approaches, the Rockets should have a decent chance to pull the upset. Everyone needs to play as hard as Jae’Sean Tate tonight for Houston, who will be battling a Denver team full of guys who will literally be playing for their job security. The Nuggets will play hard, that’s a guarantee. Denver’s tyrannical head coach Mike Malone won’t feign interest if his guys aren’t playing well, he’ll just send them to the bench. And Houston hopes to be responsible for Malone kicking some Nuggets to the bench on Saturday night. If the Rockets can start the game with a powerful first quarter, Houston can potentially start the New Year with a win.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Denver Nuggets (17-16): White
Houston Rockets (10-26): Navy “City Edition”
Tip-Off: 7 PM CT
TV: AT&T Sportsnet SW, NBA League Pass