Heat vs Nuggets NBA | Michael Porter Jr. In Question For Denver

A potential NBA Finals preview between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets highlights Monday’s NBA schedule – not super likely they meet in the Finals but could happen. Denver is a short underdog on the NBA odds and might be without one of its best players.

How to Bet Miami at Denver NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Monday, 9 PM ET
Where: Ball Arena
TV: NBA League Pass
Stream: NBA League Pass app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Heat -1 (total 208.5)

Last Season

The Nuggets won both matchups last season, by a score of 123-106 at home. Nikola Jokic had 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds and Michael Porter Jr. added 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets. They Nuggets led by 11 at halftime and stretched it to 15 late in the third quarter. JaMychal Green and P.J. Dozier made 3-pointers early in the fourth to open up a 20-point lead. Jimmy Butler had 13 points and nine assists for the Heat. Bam Adebayo led Miami with 21 points and Kendrick Nunn added 16 points. Nunn is now with the Lakers. The all-time regular-season series between these teams is tied 34-34.

Why Bet on Miami?

The Heat (7-2) got a big win over Utah on Saturday, 118-115. Miami led by 19 points with 5 minutes remaining but the victory wasn’t assured until Donovan Mitchell missed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds.

Jimmy Butler went 11-of-15 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line in Saturday’s win, finishing with 27 points and six assists. Butler has scored 20+ points in all but two games this season. Bam Adebayo handed out a season-high six assists, also chipping in 17 points and six rebounds.

Tyler Herro sank six 3-pointers on the way to 29 points. Herro has been great this season and is the early favorite for the Sixth Man of the Year award. He has scored 192 points off the bench, the most by a Heat reserve through the first nine games of a season in team history. Additionally, it ranks as the fifth-most by any reserve through a team’s first nine games in NBA history.

The Heat’s bench has outscored their opponents’ bench in eight of nine games this season. Miami’s bench is currently averaging 43.8 points, most in the league.

Point guard Kyle Lowry was in some question with a sprained ankle but played and had 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. It was the 19^th triple-double of his career and first with Miami.

The Heat are outscoring opponents by +7.6 points in the first quarter this season, outscoring their opponents by +68 (266-198). Miami is averaging 50.3 rebounds this season, the most in the NBA. The Heat also are averaging a +11.4 scoring margin, the second-highest in the NBA. With a win Monday, the Heat will match their best start through 10 games in team history, when they also started 8-2 in both 2011-12 and 1999-00.

Why Bet on Denver?

The Nuggets are off a 95-94 win over a terrible Houston team on Saturday. Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic dominated with 28 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. He blocked Jae’Sean Tate’s drive to the basket as time ran out.

“I didn’t jump, I went up, I didn’t even block it,” he said. “I think I actually hit it when I was jumping. Like a poke — I poked the ball.”

Jokic also had a block in the final seconds at Minnesota to preserve a win against the Timberwolves on Oct. 30. Denver, though, has been getting crushed every time Jokic takes a breather.

“Nikola’s not a good player, he’s a great player,” Coach Mike Malone said. “But every time he comes out, everything just falls apart. It’s every night. I went to him in the fourth quarter, I called his name, and he looked at me, kind of like, ‘Already?’ And I feel for him. Nikola’s gonna be worn down by Christmas at this rate.”

Will Barton notched 15 points with seven rebounds and six assists. Forward Michael Porter Jr. left the game with lower back soreness, didn’t practice Sunday and is questionable for this one. He’s off to a brutal start this season 9.9 points on 35.9% shooting. Surely his back has something to do with that.

Porter missed most of his lone collegiate season at Missouri after undergoing back surgery, and concerns about his future health were why he fell all the way to 14th in the 2018 NBA Draft. During the pre-draft process, a doctor for the Los Angeles Clippers even said that Porter “probably wouldn’t play again.”

Game Trends

Heat are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
Heat are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Heat are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 road games.
Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Monday games.
Nuggets are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games.
Heat are 5-11 ATS in the last 16 meetings in Denver.