Rockets at Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets attempt to defeat Houston for the third consecutive
time this season when they host the Rockets on Monday. Denver slammed
the Rockets in Houston by 20 points in the season opener and followed up
two-plus weeks later with a nine-point home victory.
The Rockets are playing much more proficient basketball now, and Saturday's 126-97 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers was their seventh win in nine games and allowed them to reach the .500 mark. "We've come a long way," interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. "We've got to give guys credit for accepting responsibility of where we were and accepting responsibility and putting responsibility on themselves that they had to do something to change it." The Nuggets also are playing well and have won three of four games after recording a 111-108 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. Denver had lost five consecutive home games prior to beating Minnesota and is just 4-7 at the Pepsi Center.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (12-12): Backup guard Marcus Thornton has played well over the past three games while averaging 19.7 points and knocking down 10 3-pointers. Thornton has scored 18 or more points in four of the last eight contests but consistency has been an issue as he has scored in single digits in each of the other four. Houston's bench scored 55 points against the Lakers and power forward Donatas Motiejunas had 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting as he progresses from a back injury.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (9-14): Denver overcame an 18-point second-half deficit to knock off the Timberwolves, and small forward Danilo Gallinari took over in overtime when he scored nine of his 23 points. "I thought we needed a game like that to be able to win in clutch time like this," Gallinari told reporters. "We didn't play very good in the first half and we were able to be much better in the second half. That was great for everybody." Gallinari has topped 20 points in three of the past four games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets have committed 37 turnovers and averaged 91.5 points in this season's two losses to the Nuggets.
2. Denver rookie PG Emmanuel Mudiay (ankle) is expected to sit out after aggravating the injury on Friday.
3. Houston F Trevor Ariza (back) was 1-of-7 shooting against the Lakers after sitting out the previous game.