The Denver Nuggets look to get back to winning ways when they take on the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on Monday, with the game tipping off at 7:30 PM ET.
The Nuggets enter this contest having dropped to 22-9 after suffering a brutal 127-126 loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday. They remain third in the West despite going 2-3 in their last five games and take on a Heat team here that has won two in a row to improve to 17-15. They blew out the Indiana Pacers 142-116 on Saturday and are seventh in the East.
The Heat will be counting on their leading scorer, Norman Powell, to get them over the line here. Powell is averaging 23.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2025-26.
As for the Nuggets, they will once again be led by the incredible Nikola Jokic. Jokic is having another MVP-caliber season, putting up averages of 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, 11.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game.
This is the second meeting of the season between these teams, with the Nuggets winning 122-112 at Ball Arena on Nov. 5.
Injury Report
Heat
Vladislav Goldin: Out (G League – Two-Way)
Tyler Herro: Out (right big toe contusion)
Terry Rozier: Out (not with team)
Jahmir Young: Out (G League – Two-Way)
Bam Adebayo: Probable (lower back soreness)
Nuggets
Tamar Bates: Out (left foot surgery)
Christian Braun: Out (left ankle sprain)
Aaron Gordon: Out (right hamstring strain)
Cameron Johnson: Out (right knee injury management)
Why The Heat Have The Advantage
The Heat are very much the underdogs against the Nuggets, but they do have some things going their way. Most importantly, Bam Adebayo looks set to return to the starting lineup here after missing the last two games with this back issue.
Adebayo remains one of the better defenders in the NBA and is a big reason why the Heat have a 112.0 defensive rating, fourth-best this season. He and Kel’el Ware are a formidable duo in that frontcourt, and they will be tasked with slowing down Jokic.
We saw Adebayo and Ware hold Karl-Anthony Towns to just two points (1-5 FG) and six rebounds when the Heat took on the New York Knicks on Dec. 21. Jokic is obviously a far greater player than Towns, but the Knicks star is no slouch offensively. That remains the only game this season in which he hasn’t made more than one field goal.
Adebayo and Ware are capable of making life difficult for Jokic. The Serb had a 33-point triple-double in the first meeting, but Adebayo had been forced to leave that game in the first quarter due to a left foot injury.
To Jokic’s credit, he had been dominating even before that injury, but he didn’t have to go up against both of those bigs at the same time that night. It will be interesting to see how he copes this time around.
Jamal Murray is the other big threat from the Nuggets, and the Heat will be sticking Davion Mitchell on him. Mitchell is a fine defensive guard, and he helped hold Murray to 14 points (5-14 FG) in the first meeting. If he can do that again, and the bigs do the same with Jokic, the Nuggets will be in a bit of trouble.
Aaron Gordon had scored 24 points in that first meeting to make up for Murray’s rough night, but he isn’t playing. Cam Johnson and Christian Braun are out, too, so there aren’t too many reliable offensive options available around the two stars.
Gordon and Braun have been out for quite some time now, and that has led to the Nuggets struggling a bit defensively as well. Their 115.8 defensive rating ranks 20th in the NBA. Powell will be fancying his chances here, especially after Magic guard Anthony Black just went off for 38 points against the Nuggets on Saturday.
Why The Nuggets Have The Advantage
When it comes to the Nuggets, the answer to this question is the same every time. They have Jokic. Despite all those key players missing time, the Nuggets still have an excellent 124.0 offensive rating, the best in the league by a fair bit.
We saw Jokic go up against the Minnesota Timberwolves, one of the better defensive teams in the NBA, on Thursday, and he destroyed them. The three-time MVP had a 56-point triple-double, and Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels admitted afterward that there is no answer for him. If Jokic has it going, there is nothing anyone can do.
As for Murray, we mentioned how Mitchell helped slow him down in that first meeting, but he has been on a tear this month. The Canadian has averaged 27.5 points while shooting 52.0% from beyond the arc in December. It hasn’t really mattered much what kind of defense has been played against him.
Crucially for the Nuggets, Tim Hardaway Jr. is also playing some quality basketball at the moment. He has put up 20.8 points per game over his last four outings.
The Nuggets do have the firepower on paper to take down anyone, even with their defense not being all that good. The Heat not having Tyler Herro, who is averaging 23.2 points per game in 2025-26, also helps them out here.
Heat vs. Nuggets Prediction
As mentioned earlier, there are things going in the Heat’s favor here. The Nuggets are somewhat vulnerable due to all those absentees, but it’s hard to bet against Jokic.
Prediction: Nuggets 118, Heat 108
