Harden leads Houston into matchup against Denver
Houston Rockets (29-21, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (35-15, second in the Western Conference)
Denver; Friday, 10 p.m. Eastern
BOTTOM LINE: James Harden leads Houston into a matchup against Denver. He's first in the NBA averaging 36.3 points per game.
The Nuggets have gone 22-4 at the Pepsi Center. Denver averages 13.6 turnovers per game and is 19-6 when they have fewer turnovers than their opponents.
The Rockets are 17-13 against conference opponents. Houston is 13-9 in games decided by at least 10 points. The Rockets won the last meeting between these two squads 125-113 on Jan. 7. Harden led the way with 32 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nikola Jokic is averaging 20.1 points and 10.4 rebounds for the Nuggets. Malik Beasley is averaging three made 3-pointers and has scored 15.5 points over the last 10 games for Denver.
Harden ranks first on the Rockets averaging 36.3 points and is adding 6.7 rebounds. Kenneth Faried has scored 15.2 points and collected 9.8 rebounds while shooting 58.5 percent over the last 10 games for Houston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 6-4, averaging 118.9 points, 41.1 rebounds, 18.9 assists, 9.7 steals and 5.8 blocks per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.1 points on 48.2 percent shooting.
Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 114.5 points, 44.7 rebounds, 26.4 assists, 6.9 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.4 points on 45.6 percent shooting.
Nuggets Injuries: Jamal Murray: day to day (ankle), Michael Porter Jr.: out (back), Isaiah Thomas: out (hip).
Rockets Injuries: Chris Paul: day to day (back), Clint Capela: out (right thumb).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by HERO Sports, and data from Sportradar.