Heat vs. Nuggets Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
The Heat are set to continue their four-game West Coast road trip with a meeting in Denver against the Nuggets on Wednesday. Miami will be looking for a different result after getting routed 109-82 at home against the Nuggets in January. Denver, on the other hand, is set to begin life without Jamal Murray, after the Canadian star’s season ended with a torn ACL against Golden State on Monday.
Denver is a 4-point favourite on the NBA odds with a total of 213.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Miami sits two game above .500 and has an even 13-13 record on the road this season. They’re coming into Wednesday with six wins in their last eight games. The Heat are 23-30-1 against the spread, but they’ve only covered in one of their last five games against Denver. They’ve hit the Over in four of their last six games overall, but it’s worth noting they’ve actually been an Under team in 10 of their last 11 road games.
The Nuggets have been strong all year. They’ve won eight of their last 10 games overall and six of their last seven home games. Denver is 26-28 ATS, but they’ve only covered in two of their last six games. They seem to like playing out of their conference as they’ve hit the Over in seven of their last 10 games against East teams.
Miami Heat
This will be a much different Miami team than the one that was blown out in January. The Heat were missing Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro, all players with game-changing potential, in the earlier game against Denver. Things have been looking better for Miami lately, outside of a 106-86 loss in Phoenix on Tuesday. The Heat’s shooting was awful against the Suns. They shot 37.9 per cent in the game and 20.5 per cent from beyond the arc. The only positive in the game was Miami’s defence holding a title contender like Phoenix to under 110 points in the game.
Second-year guard Herro should be a big presence in this game. He’s struggled with injuries this season, but he’s been given more responsibility and is becoming much stronger defensively. Herro has only started 14 games, but he’s upped his minutes played and his point average from last season. Over his last seven games, Herro is averaging 18 points per night on 49 per cent field goal shooting, 41 per cent 3-point shooting and 84 per cent from the free throw line. He’s scored double-digit points in 10 straight games and has the potential to be the difference-maker against Denver.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have a huge hole in their lineup with Murray done for the season. This is a deep roster though, so they’re still very dangerous. Nikola Jokic will need to step up even more in Murray’s absence. Jokic is averaging team-highs in points (26.2), rebounds (10.9), assists (8.8) and steals (1.5) per game. Monte Morris will likely replace Murray as the starting guard and matchup against Kendrick Nunn on Wednesday.
Aaron Gordon has immediately established himself as a key part of this roster after being traded to Denver by Orlando on March 25. Gordon’s tenure in the Mile High City began with an eight-game winning streak, although the Nuggets have dropped their last two games. Gordon’s best game with Denver was a win against his former team on April 4. He finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and two assists on 76 per cent field goal shooting. If Gordon gets hot again, this game could get out of hand quickly.
MIA
DEN