Nuggets at Rockets
The Denver Nuggets halted a nine-game losing skid against the Rockets earlier this season and now look to make it two straight wins on Thursday in Houston. Backup guard Malik Beasley scored a career-best 35 points and star center Nikola Jokic added 31 as the Nuggets posted a 136-122 home win over the Rockets on Feb. 1.
Denver is a hot squad with seven victories in its last eight games as it wages battle with the Golden State Warriors for the top seed in the Western Conference. Tuesday's 95-92 home win over the Detroit Pistons gave the Nuggets their first 50-win season since going 57-25 in 2012-13. Houston suffered a 108-94 road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday and is battling the Portland Trail Blazers for the third seed in the West. Star guard James Harden scored just 23 points on 9-of-26 shooting and is averaging 25.5 points over the past two games after averaging 59 over the previous two contests.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBATV, Altitude (Denver), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (50-23): The contest against Houston begins a stretch in which seven of eight games are against probable Western Conference playoff games and the club feels the tough slate is a good thing heading into the postseason. "You want what's going to be reality in the playoffs," center Mason Plumlee told reporters. "That's what we'll get - a lot of good teams. It's going to be a good look going into the playoffs." Point guard Jamal Murray scored 33 points against Detroit after having just four on 2-of-12 shooting in a loss to the Indiana Pacers two nights earlier.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (47-28): The loss to Milwaukee was just the third in the past 17 games for Houston, which never got untracked offensively and shot 36.4 percent from the field. "We had our open shots. We couldn't knock them down," Harden told reporters afterward. "We competed but they went on a run in that third quarter and that was it." Center Clint Capela was on his game with 17 points (on 8-of-11 shooting) and 11 rebounds for his 39th double-double of the season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets won the past five home encounters with the Nuggets.
2. Houston swingman Gerald Green (shoulder) will miss his third straight game.
3. Beasley (personal reasons) could miss his second straight contest.