Rockets have a chance to save face in pivotal matchup vs. Nuggets

It goes without saying that the Houston Rockets' past two losses, to the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans, have been nothing short of disappointing.

Dropping an overtime thriller to one of the most dominant teams in the NBA is certainly not the end of the world. However, blowing a massive lead only to lose in overtime to one of the Western Conference's bottom-feeders is cause for alarm.

Between the two games, the Rockets allowed 261 points, and crucial fouls and missed shots in clutch moments ultimately led them to two brutal defeats.

Now, however, they will have the opportunity to get back on track in another pivotal matchup against the Nuggets.

Rockets will get a shot at redemption as they attempt to prove themselves as title contenders

For the Rockets, that two-game stretch signified more than a set of embarassing losses. It also represented their first losing streak of the season.

Without exaggeration, this is a crisis that will potentially be season-defining.

As good as Houston has been this season, they still have yet to beat any of their peers at the top of the Western Conference. They have narrow losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, and both of their losses to the Nuggets came in similarly slim fashion.

With the Thunder and the Nuggets representing their direct competition for a top seed, the Rockets have very little margin for error during the regular season. Three losses in a row, including two against Denver, would not only be damaging to their record but also to their image as title contenders.

This is the time when the team's stars, Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, must step up and right the ship. In their last matchup against the Nuggets, Durant took just four shots in the fourth quarter and overtime.

While Sengun was playing at high efficiency, it ultimately wasn't enough to get the Rockets over the hump. Opposing defenders were able to take Durant out of the game as a result of his passivity. That's something that, plainly, can't happen on a routine basis.

The Rockets have proved early in the season that they have the juice to outplay any team on both ends of the court when they're right. They just have yet to put it together against the teams they will need to beat in the playoffs.

If they can come away with a win on Saturday, it would go a long way toward reassuring fans of their true ceiling.