Miami Heat (20-19) vs Denver Nuggets (24-16)
Game Info: Friday, January 17, 2025 at 8:00 pm (Kaseya Center)
Betting Odds: Miami Heat -2.5 -- Over/Under: 224 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: NBA League Pass
The Denver Nuggets invade the Kaseya Center to battle the Miami Heat on Friday night. Here’s a Denver Nuggets vs Miami Heat Prediction. This article will include a Denver Nuggets vs Miami Heat Pick.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets have been in pretty good form as they were riding a four-game win streak before they got embarrassed by the Rockets in a 128-108 home defeat on Wednesday. Jamal Murray and Christian Braun led the scoring with 22 points each while Russell Westbrook chipped in with 17 points, but no other player scored more than 10 points. As a team, the Nuggets shot 53 percent from the field and 14 of 29 from the 3-point line, but they didn't play with any urgency on the defensive end. The Nuggets always fighting an uphill battle after allowing 41 points in the second quarter. The game got out of hand early in this one, so the Nuggets decided to rest three of their starters early but they allowed Braun to play extended minutes and he finished shooting 10 of 11 from the field. The Nuggets will meet the Magic after this game.
Miami Heat
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat could do with a win as they've lost five of their last eight games overall. The Heat will be hoping to snap a two-game skid after falling short to the Lakers in a 117-108 road defeat on Wednesday. Tyler Herro drained seven 3-pointers to lead the team with 34 points, Haywood Highsmith and Nikola Jovic each scored 12 points while Jaime Jacquez jr chipped in with 11 points. As a team, the Heat shot 53 percent from the field and 16 of 36 from the 3-point line. The Heat set the tone with 38 points in the first quarter to build a 14-point lead, only to get run down in the second half where they got outscored by 63-42. Terry Rozier had a quiet game of just six points on three of seven shooting while Duncan Robinson scored just seven points on two of seven shooting off the bench.
Why the Miami Heat will win
- The favorites have won seven of the last eight games between the Nuggets and Heat.
- The favorites have covered the spread in six of the Nuggets' last seven games.
- The Nuggets have failed to cover the spread in three of their last four games as underdogs.
Why the Denver Nuggets will win
- The Heat have lost each of their last nine games at Kaseya Center against Northwest Division opponents that held a winning record.
- The Nuggets have won each of their last five games as road underdogs against Southeast Division opponents.
- The Heat have failed to cover the spread in each of their last nine games at Kaseya Center against Northwest Division opponents that held a winning record.
- The Nuggets have covered the spread in each of their last seven night games at Kaseya Center.
Total Points Facts
- Thirteen of the Nuggets' last 15 night games against Eastern Conference opponents have gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of the Heat's last four games as favorites against the Nuggets have gone OVER the total points line.
Denver Nuggets vs Miami Heat Prediction
The Nuggets could be shorthanded once again as Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon are both listed as questionable, while the Heat are still playing without the injured Josh Richardson. The Nuggets were on a nice run before they got stopped in their tracks by the Rockets in a tough loss on Wednesday, while the Heat have continued their struggles with a loss to the Lakers in their last game. This is definitely a game where you want to check the lineups before tipoff, but as it stands, I like the Nuggets as the underdogs in this spot.
Peter’s Pick Denver +2.5
The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.
AUTHOR: Peter Tran

Peter is busy writing amazing articles for PickDawgz but will create a bio soon.