Denver's trip to Houston has become a test of how each team gets into its offense. Travel trouble delayed the Nuggets after their win over Indiana, and six Denver players, including Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, are listed as questionable. Houston has a different pressure point: Steven Adams and Clint Capela are listed out, thinning the bodies around Alperen Sengun. If Denver's main passers play, Houston's interior cover matters; if they sit, Denver's second unit has to create clean looks against a Houston team that has defended well in recent games.
Basketball Network reported Denver's aircraft problems after the Mexico City game, and Nuggets On SI published the questionable list. Our match records show Denver beating Indiana and Toronto in its last two, while Houston lost to Phoenix and Minnesota. Those results set the scene, but the lineup decisions and the first few possessions will show whether Denver can still connect passes into the paint and whether Houston can protect it without its two listed centers.
