The Rockets Must Take Advantage Of Their Rematch With The Nuggets

The Houston Rockets have played close games with basically every one of the top contenders in the Western Conference. While there are some teams they haven't met yet like the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Los Angeles Lakers, they've taken on the Golden State Warriors, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs, and they've had a few cracks at the Denver Nuggets.

So far, their winning percentage against those teams is not high. Of that list, one team will have to battle through the play-in tournament to even get into the playoffs. The Rockets must start performing better against these teams to prevent becoming the odd-man out. That campaign must start with their upcoming game against the Nuggets.

Denver has had the early advantage against the Rockets this season, holding on for a few close victories after late mistakes by Houston kept the Rockets from victory.

The Nuggets have improved defensively this season, forcing teams to work harder for points in the paint. The Rockets have found some success from outside the arc against Denver, but not enough to actually win the game, especially in the waning moments.

For the Rockets to take advantage of their rematch against the Nuggets, they must get a little more production at the rim and create easier shots to convert baskets at a higher level.

Houston's last game against the Nuggets showed it was ready to match Denver shot for shot in the clutch, making huge baskets to eventually have a lead with just a few seconds remaining. It was a similar situation to their game against the Thunder in the season opener: the Rockets played well enough to win through all but the final defensive possession in their games against these high-quality opponents.

If the Rockets can't turn things around and finish against the Nuggets, they'll have to wait until Christmas to get another chance to beat a top Western Conference team. By then, the confidence in their ability to win against these top teams could be shaken.

However, the Rockets may be gaining valuable insight for their young players by engaging in such competitive basketball with these top teams. Houston isn't far away from having success against these teams, each game has been close with just one play away from having a different result. The Rockets must start making those crucial plays at the ends of games against these top teams, and they must start by getting their revenge against the Nuggets at the end of the week.