Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets Prediction 12/20/2025 Today’s NBA Picks

The Houston Rockets pay a visit to the Denver Nuggets at the Ball Arena on Saturday night. Here’s a Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets Prediction. This article will include a Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets Pick.

Houston Rockets Betting Preview 

The Houston Rockets have cooled off a bit recently as they’ve dropped three of their past four games. They will be hoping to avoid a third straight defeat after getting beaten by the struggling Pelicans in a 133-128 overtime loss on Thursday. Kevin Durant led the team with 32 points on 12 of 15 shooting, Alperen Sengun added 28 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists while Amen Thompson chipped in with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists on 11 of 14 shooting.

As a team, the Rockets shot 47 percent from the field and 10 of 32 from the 3-point line as they got off to a great start and poured in 67 points in the first half to take a 25-point lead. However, they allowed the Pelicans back into the contest and lost all the momentum after allowing 74 points in the second half, before they scored just nine points in overtime to come up short in the end. Steven Adams had a quiet game of just six points on two of 10 shooting in 28 minutes, but what killed the Rockets was their sloppiness with the ball as they committed 20 turnovers, with Kevin Durant committing six of those. 

Denver Nuggets Betting Preview 

Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets have been in great form as they’ve won eight of their last 10 games overall and they will be gunning for a seventh straight victory after running past the Magic in a 126-115 win on Thursday. Jamal Murray led the team with 32 points on 11 of 22 shooting, Nikola Jokic racked up a triple-double of 23 points with 11 rebounds and 13 assists while Cameron Johnson chipped in with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

As a team, the Nuggets shot a healthy 56 percent from the field and 16 of 36 from the 3-point line as they got off to a sluggish start and trailed by 14 points in the second quarter. Before they closed the half on a ridiculous 35-7 run to lead by as many as 21 points at one stage. 

Why the Denver Nuggets will win

• The Rockets have lost 21 of their last 22 games as road underdogs against Northwest Division opponents following a loss.
• The Nuggets have won each of their last six games.
• The Nuggets have covered the spread in nine of their last 10 games at Ball Arena against teams that held a winning record.
• The Rockets have failed to cover the spread in seven of their last eight day games following a road loss.

Why the Houston Rockets will win

• The Nuggets have lost four of their last five games as home favorites following a win.
• The Rockets have won each of their last three games as underdogs after coming off overtime.
• The Rockets have covered the spread in seven of their last eight road games on the first leg of a back-to-back.
• The Nuggets have failed to cover the spread in four of their last five games as home favorites against Western Conference opponents.

Total Points Facts

• Each of the Nuggets’ last six home games have gone OVER the total points line.
• Sixteen of the Rockets’ last 18 games against Northwest Division opponents have gone OVER the total points line.

Denver Nuggets Player Facts

• Jonas Valanciunas ranks 10th amongst qualified players for rebounds per 36 minutes (13.0) this season.
• Spencer Jones leads all Nuggets players for steals per 36 minutes (1.5) this season.

Houston Rockets Player Facts

• Steven Adams ranks 4th amongst qualified players for rebounds per 36 minutes (14.4) this season.
• Amen Thompson ranks 7th amongst qualified players for points in the paint per game (12.3) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Nuggets rank 1st in the league for field goal percentage this season (51.8%).
• The Nuggets rank 1st in the league for field goals made per game this season (45.5).
• The Rockets rank 1st in the league for offensive rebounds per game this season (16.5).
• The Rockets rank 30th in the league for three-point field goal attempts per game this season (29.7).

Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets Prediction

The Rockets are still missing Fred VanVleet, Dorian Finney-Smith and Tari Eason, while the Nuggets have ruled out Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun once again. These teams last met on Monday where the Nuggets won by 128-125 in overtime and the Nuggets also won the first meeting on Nov. 21 by 112-109 so we’ve seen two close meetings so far. I’m not surprised to see the line so short in this one, but the Nuggets are coming into this meeting as the team in better form, and I think they represent decent value at the short line.

Peter Tran's Pick: Denver -1