Official Rockets at Nuggets Game Thread

Houston Rockets(14-10) at Denver Nuggets(17-11)
Time: 7:30 pm CST
Location: Pepsi Center




Head Coaches
vs. Jeff Van Gundy/Jeff Bzdelik

Starters
vs. Jim Jackson/Carmelo Anthony
vs. Kelvin Cato/Nene
vs. Yao Ming/Marcus Camby
vs. Steve Francis/Andre Miller
vs. Cuttino Mobley/Voshon Leonard

Game Outlook - Rockets
The Rockets played awesome against the Lakers on Christmas. If they can do the same things tomorrow as they did tonight, then we will walk out with a win. On offense we need to get the ball to Yao. The pick and roll worked really well against the Lakers and Yao proved he can hit the 17 footer. We should do the same tonight. Also, good ball movement and shot selection. When you have good ball movement you get wide open shots, when you don't you get contested fade-away long range jumpers. We need the wide open jumpshots to be successful. On defense we need to do a good job of containing Carmelo. Jim Jackson needs to step up and lead the Rockets on the defensive end of the court tonight. Camby is questionable for the game tomorrow. If he doesn't get to play, then Yao needs to take full advantage of this and dominate in the low post.

Game Outlook - Nuggets
When you think of the Nuggets, you think of Melo. Both Melo and Camby sat out at practice on Wednesday. Carmelo says he will play however Camby might not. The Nuggets really need Camby down low, to play around with Yao tomorrow. If he doesn't play it will be a long night. Regardless if he plays or not the Nuggets need to double Yao on the low block and deny penetration to the paint by the Rockets perimeter players .They need to force them to shoot the long range jumper. On offense, they should get the ball to Carmelo early and often. Anthony has an advantage over almost everyone when he is able to isolate them one-on-one on the wing. Also the Nuggets need to get the ball to Voshon Leonard. He has been "on" lately and Mobley is a mediocre defender at best. If I were them I would exploit these two match-ups. They also need to attack the paint and try to get Yao in foul trouble. The Nuggets have a much better chance of winning if Yao is not on the court.

Dexter's Prediction
The Rocket have to be feeling great coming off the win against the Lakers tonight and I think that will serve them well tomorrow against the Nuggets tomorrow night. The decision to play Camby or not will be a big factor in the game. Without him, the Nuggets don't have anyone that can compare to Yao down low in the paint. The match-up between Francis and Miller will be an exciting one to watch. Overall, I think the Rockets will win this game. They got a huge confidence boost with the win over the Lakers. Yao Ming will just be too much for the Nuggets to handle tomorrow. My prediction:

Rockets 95
Nuggets 87

 

The Rockets lose in a heart-breaking defeat to the Denver Nuggets with the score of 95-94. The Nuggets were lead by their future All-Star Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony had the best game of his young career, making 13-of-22 shots, including 5-of-8 three-pointers, and 6-of-11 free throws. He ended the game with a career high 37 points. He however did most of his damage in the third, setting a Pepsi Center record for most points in a quarter (22) as the Nuggets rallied 16 down.

The Nuggets got bailed out of this game big time. Francis made one of two freethrows with 17 seconds left sending the game to 94-92. Cuttino Mobley then foulded Voshon Leonard on the wrist as he was shooting a three-pointer. Leonard made all three free throws. Maurice Taylor then missed a game winning jumpshot from the left baseline.

Here is what Jeff Van Gundy had to say about the game:

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"The toughest thing about this loss is losing. Down the stretch, we just weren't good enough. They got transition baskets, they got second chances and we fouled their jump shooters." </div>

Key Players - Rockets
Cuttino Mobley - 17 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists
Steve Francis - 14 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists
Jim Jackson - 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 turnovers
Kelvin Cato - 8 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks
Yao Ming - 12 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 5 turnovers
Maurice Taylor - 22 points, 5 rebounds

Key Players - Nuggets
Voshon Leonard - 17 points, 2 steals, (game winning freethrows)
Andre Miller - 22 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 turnovers
Carmelo Anthony - 37 points, 7 rebounds
Nene - 2 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists
Marcus Camby - 6 points, 6 rebounds
Earl Boykins - 4 points, 5 assists

Key Stats
<u>Turnovers</u> - Houston 19, Denver 10
<u>Shot Attempts</u> - Houston 75, Denver 87
<u>Field Goal %</u> - Houston 49.3%, Denver 41.4%
<u>Fast Break Points</u> - Houston 7, Denver 21
<u>Points in the Paint</u> - Houston 44, Denver 30

Rockets next game is Monday, December 29th against the Seattle SuperSonics

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting franchise3:</div><div class="quote_post">As usual, the Rockets need to step up on their turnovers and assists.</div>

You are totally right there. With the current team the Rockets have turnovers will continue to be a problem night in and night out unless some of the players consistantly change how they play.

One bright spot in the game was the shooting percentage. Rarely will you see a team shoot 50% from the field and lose the basketball game. The amazing field goal percentage can be attributed to the Rockets amazing execution in the paint. If we can execute like that in the paint, the Rockets will do very well in the future.