Western Conference division leaders meet Friday when the Denver Nuggets play host to the Houston Rockets. The Nuggets (35-15) have won four in a row, including their past two games on the road, while the Rockets (29-21) have taken three of four. They're set to tip off at 10 p.m. ET from the Pepsi Center. The Rockets have won both meetings this season by double-figures and the past nine games in the series overall. Denver is a 4.5-point favorite in the latest Rockets vs. Nuggets odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 227. Before making any Rockets vs. Nuggets picks of your own, get the latest NBA predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, is crushing its NBA picks this season. It enters Week 16 of the 2018-19 NBA season with a sterling 187-136 record on all top-rated picks, returning over $4,000 to anybody following them. And it has been particularly red-hot on its A-rated NBA picks against the spread recently, entering Week 16 on a blistering 29-14 run. Anybody following it is up huge.
Now the model has dialed in on Rockets vs. Nuggets. We can tell you it is leaning to the under, but it has also locked in an against-the-spread pick that cashes in nearly 70 percent of simulations. That one is available exclusively at SportsLine.
The model has taken into account the Nuggets' strong play of late, which saw Denver go 12-4 in January. The Nuggets are also 9-1 in their past 10 home games, with much of that coming as a result of strong rebounding and shooting. Denver is seventh in the league with 46.8 rebounds per game and 10th in field-goal percentage, hitting on nearly 47 percent of its shots.
The Nuggets, who lead the Northwest Division by three games over the Thunder, are 4-0 against the spread in their past four home games and will benefit from the absence of the Rockets' second-leading scorer, Clint Capela (thumb). Capela averages 17.6 points and 12.6 rebounds, leaving a big hole which will certainly be exploited by Nikola Jokic, Denver's leading scorer (20.1 points) and rebounder (10.4).
But just because Denver has played well of late doesn't guarantee it'll cover the Nuggets vs. Rockets spread.
With Capela out, James Harden has been an unstoppable force the past month and is averaging 36.3 points this season. In the past four games, he has gone off for 61, 35, 40 and 37. Harden has scored 32 points or more in 24 consecutive games.
And Denver has injury issues of its own. Jamal Murray, the Nuggets' second-leading scorer, could miss his fourth game in a row with a left ankle sprain. Houston also has had Denver's number lately, covering five straight.
Who wins Rockets vs. Nuggets? And which side of the spread can you bank on in nearly 70 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Rockets vs. Nuggets spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $4,000 on its NBA picks this season, and find out.
