This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/rockets/onsi as Three Takeaways As Houston Rockets Take Tight Defeat Against Denver Nuggets. The Houston Rockets suffered from a tough 112-109 defeat against the Denver Nuggets in their NBA Cup matchup in the Toyota Center.

The Houston Rockets list Jabari Smith Jr. and Steven Adams as questionable ahead of their NBA Cup matchup vs. the Denver Nuggets.

Nikola Jokić nearly had a triple-double as the Denver Nuggets used a late run to put away the Rockets in a battle of two of the teams battling Oklahoma City for Western Conference supremacy.

Houston has been incredible through the first portion of the NBA season, with incredible numbers. Can the team keep it up?

The Denver Nuggets (11-3) and Houston Rockets (10-3) are set to face off in an NBA Cup showdown Friday. Tip-off from Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, is set for 9:30 p.m. ET (Prime Video). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's NBA odds around the Nuggets vs. Rockets odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.

The Timberwolves are 4-2 in the last six games and 6-2 since Anthony Edwards return. While the record is impressive, Minnesota has beaten Washington, Dallas, Sacramento twice, and Utah twice with losses to Denver and New York. Minnesota actually hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record yet and can with a road game at Phoenix next.

Alepren Sengun said that while Jokic was someone he admired when entering the league, he no longer wants to be defined by that.

Houston has had plenty of stars come through the organization, many of whom The Athletic's readers believe are some of the best in recent history.