The defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets look to make it three straight wins overall when they host the Houston Rockets Wednesday night inside Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. They jump it up at 9:00 pm.

Bookmaker has installed the Nuggets as a -4 point favorite. 

The Nuggets have gotten off to a nice start this season and it is only a matter of time before they go on a run and rip off seven, eight, nine wins in a row. They have the depth and the talent to get back to the NBA Finals and not only defend their crown but repeat as champions. They are led by the face of the franchise and arguably the game's most talented and versatile player in center Nikola Jokic, who is averaging 28 points this season. 

He is dealing with a back issue and that kept him out of Monday's 113-104 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. He has torched the Rockets in his career to the tune of a monster 37 points per clip. He is at many times an unstoppable player on the floor and he causes matchup nightmares for the opposition. 

Reggie Jackson picked up the offensive slack in the Clippers win, netting a team-high 35 points on a solid 15-of-19 shots from the floor. 

The Nuggets can score in bunches too and they have the capability to put up 120 or more points on any given night. The Rockets defense better come to play and they have to find a way to neutralize Jokic and not allow him to get comfortable on the low block. 

The Rockets have solid backcourt play and their guards love to create off the dribble as they have done much of that this season. 

On offense, overall they are led by emerging star 21-year-old Alperen Sengun who is netting around 20.2 points per game and he is also hauling down 9.1 boards per contest. Houston is not the most explosive offensive team in the league but they have played better defense over the last month or so and they are keeping the games close even the ones they lose. 

The Rockets are 9-0-1 ATS over their last ten games and four of their five road losses have been by five points or less, which proves they play up to the level of their competition. 

They connect on 54% from the floor and shoot around 37% from beyond the arc. They have to get more from their bench and have to do a better job of not playing sloppy baseketball. They turn it over just around 12 times a game and if they want to compete with the more talented teams in the league they have to play smarter basketball. 

The Nuggets are 3-2 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the spread. The Nuggets are a rough 2-8 in their road games against the number and the totals have gone over in two of their last five games. Houston is 2-3 in their last five games and a very solid 5-0 in their last five games against the number. They are an average 3-2 in their road games against the number and the totals have gone over in one of their last five games.