Heat vs Nuggets Picks and Odds

• The Miami Heat are in Denver on the second night of a back-to-back against the Nuggets
• Denver will play its first game since Jamal Murray suffered a season-ending torn ACL 
• Get the latest Heat vs Nuggets odds, betting preview and a pick below

The Denver Nuggets’ title hopes took a major blow Tuesday night in a loss to Golden State.

But there’s little time to lament the loss of Jamal Murray, as the Miami Heat are in town. Miami’s recent hot streak hit its own bump and could have been way worse when Jimmy Butler went down with an ugly ankle sprain in their blowout loss in Phoenix Tuesday.

With Butler hobbled, entering the second night of a back-to-back, and playing in that mile-high altitude oddsmakers have the home team as 4-point favorite.

Heat vs Nuggets Odds

Odds as of April 12. Tip-off is Wednesday at 10pm ET

Can Denver Regroup?

We were just getting to know this Denver squad that looked mighty dangerous since acquiring Aaron Gordon at the trade deadline. Their starting five of Murray, Will Barton, Gordon, Michael Porter Jr and Nikola Jokic was blowing teams out of the water.

They had won eight straight before dropping their last two, but the early returns had Denver a legitimate title contender. Over that span, they were second in the league in assists at over 28 dimes a contest, while shooting 49.2% from the field (third) and 39.2% from deep (fifth).

Jamal Murray was having a career year this season.

21.2 PPG
4.8 APG
1.3 SPG
2.7 3PG

47.7 FG%
40.8 3P%
55.9 eFG%
59.2 TS%

Injuries suck. pic.twitter.com/nQFx5JtlHr

— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 13, 2021

Murray’s non-contact injury late in the loss to the Warriors changes everything. Gone is their clutch shot creator and shot maker who broke out big-time in last year’s playoffs.

Jokic will continue to do his MVP-level thing, but it will be interesting to see who can fill the Murray void. The logical choice is budding star Porter Jr. He’s been a supercharged third wheel since the trade, averaging 21.8 points and nine rebounds in his last 10, while shooting 55.3% from the field and 39.7% from three.

Michael Porter Jr. is turning into an all-around player for the @nuggets.

He has put in the time and it has not gone unnoticed. 💪🏀#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/XiHDXYRo8Y

— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) April 10, 2021

Gordon may be the better ball-handler of the two, but is he equipped to run crunch-time minutes? We’ve seen him blossom as a defensive presence, while eating off cuts and open looks created by Jokic and company.

Heat in Tough Double-Dip

There are probably not too many back-to-back slates as lethal as the one the Miami Heat are facing. After winning six of their last seven, they ran into a buzzsaw in Phoenix Tuesday night, dropping a 106-86 decision to the Suns.

But they avoided a major disaster midway through the fourth quarter, when Jevon Carter got into Butler’s landing space after a jumper in the paint. Jimmy Buckets returned to action later in the period, but it was brief, as the game was out of hand. His status Wednesday is unknown.

Jimmy Butler came down awkwardly and appeared to hurt his ankle. 🙏

(🎥: @BallyHEAT) pic.twitter.com/vpBUDYnfAp

— theScore (@theScore) April 14, 2021

Miami is also down trade deadline acquisition Victor Oladipo, who just can’t stay healthy. He’s played in just four games for Miami and is not on this trip after he injured his knee in a win over the Lakers attempting a dunk late in the game.

Even with the Nuggets reeling, a stop in Denver is not an easy one, as the current 4-seed in the West owns a 16-8 record against East competition.

Jimmy Butler is grabbing his ankle and looks to have tweaked something… hope he’s okay.

Just a reminder: the Heat have 8 games in the next 12 days.

Brutal.

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 14, 2021

The Heat are third in the NBA in points allowed per game, surrendering just 107.2 per contest, which keeps them in a ton of games. But where are they getting buckets Wednesday night if Butler is a no-go? Miami puts up only 106.6 points per contest, which is the 5th-worst mark in the NBA.

What’s the Best Bet?

Denver’s recent struggles have come as they’ve had trouble taking care of the ball, turning it over at least 17 times in three of their last four games, including 19 in the loss to the Dubs. Miami is second in the NBA in opponent turnover percentage at 15.7%, and they’ll need easy buckets to stay in this one.

I think the Nuggets will be in a little fog after their season hit the bricks. Erik Spoelstra always has Miami prepared, so expect them to come with prime effort early on. But they will only be able to do so much with a hobbled Butler and no Oladipo on the second night of a back-to-back.

The pick: Nuggets -4 (-110)

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