What a difference a week makes for the Houston Rockets (25-22).
Last week, when they faced off against the Denver Nuggets (28-18)--a game that they lost 105-95 on Jan. 23--they were reeling, having lost eight of nine games after visiting Denver point guard Ty Lawson had a stellar night against them with 21 points and 7 assists.
Now, the Rockets have won three straight and gotten back on track as they prepare to visit the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo., on Wednesday for a rematch with the Nuggets.
2013 NBA All-Star James Harden has continued to lead the Rockets as they seek to gain momentum and climb higher in the standings.
But Denver is on a tear, having won 11 of their last 14 games, and currently on a four-game winning streak as they chase the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Northwest Division rankings.
And with the Houston guard tandem of Harden and Jeremy Lin heading for another collision with the savvy Lawson and Andre Iguodala of Denver, this backcourt battle will be sure to keep things interesting.
Latinos Post breaks down the key matchups heading into Wednesday's game:
Power forward: Danilo Gallinari, Nuggets vs. Patrick Patterson, Rockets
Patterson has been inconsistent with his scoring in the last five games, where he is averaging 9.0 points each night. But he was effective in 15 minutes against the Nuggets on Jan. 23, scoring 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in his limited 15 minutes.
Gallinari was stellar against Houston in their last contest, scoring 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point territory. And coming off a 27-point night against the defensively superior Pacers on Monday, the Italian standout could stand to have an even bigger night against the Rockets, whose defense is among the worst in the league (No. 27 in points allowed, with opponents scoring 102.4 points against them per game.)
Advantage: Nuggets
Small forward: Kenneth Faried vs. Chandler Parsons, Rockets
Faried had a quiet night against Houston last time around, scoring no points and grabbing only six rebounds against them, and his performance stats-wise hasn't been much better in the preceding two games leading into Wednesday's game. But he can't be underestimated, already having registered 19 double-doubles this season, and always providing a problem for opponents with his size and quickness.
Parsons put on pretty good defense in helping to contain Deron Williams on Saturday. But offense is where the Rockets need him to shine in this contest, and his 11.6 points in the last five games won't be enough. For the Rockets to come out on top this time, Parsons has to actively shoot the ball and provide that X-factor offense that makes Houston difficult to stop on the offensive side.
Advantage: Even
Center: Kosta Koufos, Nuggets vs. Omer Asik, Rockets
Between these two seven-foot monsters, the battle was pretty even in points in their last encounter, but Asik dominated Koufos on the boards, grabbing 13 rebounds--nine of them defensive--while Koufos took only 6 boards.
Still, Koufos has been consistent in points production in the last few games, while Asik, who scored 20 points with 16 rebounds in a monster game against Brooklyn on Saturday, has been streaky on offense, only 7.2 points in the last five games. It will be a contest of who can control the boards that may decide this matchup and the game.
Advantage: Rockets
Shooting Guard: Andre Igoudala vs. James Harden, Rockets
Harden easily won this contest between the two-guards last week, scoring 23 points to Iguodala's 14, but he committed seven turnovers during the game that hurt the Rockets. However, he hasn't committed a turnover since in the last two games. If he can keep up that discipline while adding in his dominant offense, Denver is in trouble.
Iguodala has been picking it up on offense after getting off to a sluggish start for most of the season, scoring 20 points against Sacramento on Saturday and 13 points against Indiana on Monday. With his shooting touch not quite up to normal standards yet, Iguodala may have to shift his attention to defense and focus on containing Harden, one of the game's most dangerous scorers today.
Advantage: Rockets
Point Guard: Ty Lawson, Nuggets vs. Jeremy Lin, Rockets
Lawson dominated this matchup on Jan. 23, scoring 21 points and dishing seven assists and powering the Rockets to victory, while Lin scored only nine points on 3-of-7 shooting and only three assists.
Since that game, Lin has been in double figures in scoring while averaging eight assists over the last three games. Lawson has really kicked up his game in the last five games, averaging 21.0 points with 7.0 assists. Lawson called out the Rockets after their loss last week, stating that they don't like to guard. Unless Lin can help contain him Wednesday, Lawson might be proven right--which means the Rockets' three-game winning streak will end in Denver.
Advantage: Denver
Bench
The Denver reserves won this battle of the benches last time, outscoring Houston's reserves 44-31 behind Nuggets shooting guard Wilson Chandler's 20 points and center JaVale McGee's 14. If these two can have similar big nights along with a steady night from small forward Corey Brewer, Denver could post another win against the Rockets.
Among Houston's reserve corps, it will largely be up to the sharpshooting Carlos Delfino and reliable Marcus Morris. But to match Denver, the Rockets will need to have strong performances from the streaky, but effective Toney Douglas at the point guard spot; contributions from Greg Smith wouldn't hurt them either.
Advantage: Denver
Game Time, Live Score
Game time starts at 9 p.m. EST. Live score is available via TV Companion, here.
Live Streaming
Live Streaming for the Game is can be seen via NBA League Pass. (Service Provider Required)
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
