Two Western Conference heavyweights face off on Monday night, as the Houston Rockets hit the road to play Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Denver is favored

The Houston Rockets have the assets, the flexibility and the urgency to pursue a generational upgrade. On paper, few teams in the NBA are better positioned to construct a competitive offer for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Spurs, Rockets, and Thunder don't seem to be interested in making a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo if he becomes available.

Sengun and Tari Eason have improved in the shooting department, while Jabari Smith Jr. has continued to be efficient. Reed Sheppard, the second-year guard who has stepped up tremendously in the absence of Fred VanVleet, is averaging 5.7 threes attempted per game, but shooting a staggering 44.4%.

The Houston Rockets (16-6) and Denver Nuggets (18-6) meet Monday at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET (Peacock). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's NBA odds around the Rockets vs. Nuggets odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.

The Houston Rockets will take on the Denver Nuggets on Monday, December 15 as the night’s featured Western Conference game on Peacock NBA Monday. Tipoff time is set for 9:30 p.m. ET from Ball Arena in Denver, and the game will be streamed live exclusively on Peacock.

Roughly one-third of the 2025-26 NBA season is over. With a chunk of the league's attention on the upcoming NBA Cup championship game on Tuesday, it can be easy

Such success has bumped Houston back into the top three in NBA.com's latest power rankings from John Schuhmann. Last week, the Rockets were fourth, but a string of defeats from the Los Angeles Lakers dropped them to seventh, bumping a number of teams up one spot.