The Miami Heat (38-28) will be at home when they face off against the Denver Nuggets (28-38). Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 14 and can be seen on ALT and SUN.
The Heat are expecting better results after their 112-104 loss to the Raptors on Saturday. Joe Johnson was the team’s high scorer, putting up 28 points. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are coming off a 116-100 win against the Wizards on Saturday. D.J. Augustin claimed his first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 assists.
Over the last five games, Hassan Whiteside and Luol Deng have played at a high level for the Heat. During that stretch, Whiteside has averaged 16.4 points, 14.4 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 3.6 blocks. Not to be outdone, Deng has put up 16.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.6 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Heat won the first game 98-95. Whiteside put up a triple-double in the victory, with 19 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocks.
The Heat have gone 38-28 Straight Up (SU) and 35-30-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 38-28 SU and 35-30-1 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. Miami has consistently been near the top of the league in terms of field goal percentage, currently ranking fifth in the league with a FG% of .463. Turning to the defensive side, opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Heat, who lead the league in blocks per game with 6.6.
In the other locker room, Denver has a SU record of 28-38 and an ATS record of 36-26-4. In Eastern Conference games, Denver has gone 28-38 SU and 36-26-4 ATS.
In their previous meeting this season, Miami beat Denver, bumping its SU record to 6-4 over the Nuggets in their last 10 meetings. However, with a 6-4 record, the Nuggets have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mia
Notes
Denver’s offense and Miami’s defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Denver puts up an average of 0.0 points per game, while Miami gives up 0.0 points per game.
Denver and Miami are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Denver scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Miami gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
The Nuggets have an even 12-12 record when they allow fewer than 100 points. When the Heat score fewer than 100 points, they are 15-20.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Nuggets are just 16-26 this season. Miami is a solid 23-8 when registering triple digits.
The Nuggets have an offensive rating of 103.3 (ranked 19th), while the Heat rank fifth for their defensive rating of 101.2.
The Miami Heat have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking fifth in the league with a FG% of 46.3%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Denver Nuggets have an abysmal 8-25 record.
The Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Miami is 13th and fifth in the league for EFF% and FG% respectively, while Denver ranks 26th and 22nd in these categories.
Miami makes an average of 20.7 assists per game (ranked 23rd). Denver ranks higher in assists with 22.6 (ranked 13th).
The Miami Heat top the league in blocking, with 6.6 made per game. The Denver Nuggets average 4.7 blocks per game (ranked 18th).
The Miami Heat rank 22nd in offensive rebounding, while the Denver Nuggets rank 18th in defensive rebounding.
The Miami Heat average 6.6 steals per game. When giving up 6 or more steals, the Denver Nuggets have a subpar record (18-29) this season.
