9:05 pm
November 8

Heat @ Nuggets

Who will WIN this matchup?

Miami Heat (7-2)

@ Denver Nuggets (5-4)

 

Current odds:

Miami Heat: (-125)

Denver Nuggets: (+105)

 

• The spread for the game is Miami by 1.5 points.

• The Miami Heat got a little older when they brought in 35-year-old Kyle Lowry this season, but the early returns have been pretty good. Lowry, who helped Toronto win the NBA title in 2019, has averaged 11.3 points and 7.5 assists for the Heat (7-2), and his leadership has been invaluable to the fast start. Now Miami will put its record to the test when it begins a five-game Western Conference road trip in Denver on Monday night.

• The Heat are coming off a big 118-115 home win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, one fueled by Lowry’s triple-double (20 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) despite Lowry dealing with an ankle injury suffered Thursday. He has helped take pressure off teammate and friend Jimmy Butler. Lowry isn’t shooting often — the most shots he has taken is 11 — and has concentrated on getting his teammates involved.

• The Heat might be catching the Nuggets (5-4) at a good time. Denver squeaked by Houston on Saturday and could be without forward Michael Porter Jr. Porter left Saturday’s game with lower back soreness in the first quarter and didn’t return. The Nuggets didn’t practice Sunday, so there was no update on his status, but head coach Michael Malone sounded more hopeful than certain of his availability after Saturday’s game.

• If Porter can’t play Monday then it will be up to someone from the struggling bench unit to step into the starting lineup. That could mean JaMychal Green, Jeff Green or P.J. Dozier gets the nod, but any move may further hamper the reserve unit. Denver’s high expectations for this season have taken a backseat to grinding out wins like Saturday.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Miami Heat
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