The Houston Rockets have locked themselves into the best odds for Victor Wembanyama in the NBA Draft, so mission accomplished for them this season.
They have a 19-60 record which is the worst in the Western Conference.
The Denver Nuggets already have their generational European center and are more interested in winning titles with him right now.
At 52-26, the Nuggets have all but secured the top seed in the West, and are coming off a win over Golden State on Sunday.
Let’s get into the odds for this matchup of worst vs. first.
Nuggets vs. Rockets odds, spread and total
Nuggets vs. Rockets prediction and pick
Nikola Jokic, is listed as questionable for this game after missing the win over Golden State. They’re working to get him 100% healthy and ready for the postseason.
Tonight could be a good night to rest their superstar against a team as awful as Houston. The Rockets are 29th in points per game and 29th in points allowed per game.
This season, the question mark for Denver has been on the defensive end. However, in its last nine games the under is 9-0 and the Nuggets are fifth in the NBA in defensive rating over that stretch at 111.0.
Especially with Jokic off the floor, the team becomes more defensively inclined. Jeff Green started at center on Sunday, and they were able to get away with that small lineup against the Warriors.
It may not be so easy for Denver to survive with a small ball five against Houston with Alperen Sengun who averaged 14.3 points a game in March. The over is 4-0 in Houston’s last four games, so there are conflicting trends. Despite Denver’s recent defensive play, I’m going with the over tonight.
In that same nine game stretch where Denver is fifth in defensive rating, Houston is 30th at 128.7.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change