Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 123-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets (35-20) on Wednesday night at Ball Arena. The Heat (28-27) fell to 1-2 on their four-game trip:
It was a bad night for the Heat’s top-10 defense.
The Nuggets didn’t miss a beat in their first game without injured star guard Jamal Murray, who sustained a torn ACL in his left knee earlier this week and will miss the rest of the season.
Denver produced an efficient 123 points while shooting 53.9% from the field and 17 of 36 on threes while committing only 11 turnovers.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, a leading MVP candidate, turned in his usual all-around stat line with a triple-double that included 17 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
But it was forward Michael Porter Jr. who stepped up in Murray’s absence with 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
The only thing that really worked to slow down the Nuggets’ offense on Wednesday were turnovers. Miami’s aggressive defense managed to score 10 points off nine first-half turnovers from Denver, but the Nuggets committed just two turnovers in the second half.
When the Nuggets were able to avoid turnovers and gets shots up, too many went in. Denver shot 12 of 18 (66.7%) from the field in the first quarter and went on to make 50.7% of its shots during the final three quarters.
This was an uncharacteristic performance from the Heat’s defense, which entered with the NBA’s sixth-best defensive rating (allowing 109.3 points per 100 possessions). Miami also entered limiting opponents to the third-worst shooting percentage this season at 44.8%.
But even without Murray, the Nuggets proved Wednesday their offense is still elite. Denver entered with the league’s fourth-best offensive rating (scoring 116.5 points per 100 possessions).
After taking just six shot attempts in Tuesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns, Heat center Bam Adebayo took an ultra-aggressive approach one night later.
The difference in Adebayo was clear from the start, as he took five of Miami’s first six shots. Adebayo surpassed his six-shot total from Tuesday in the first quarter alone, with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the opening period Wednesday.
Adebayo finished with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 shooting from the foul line, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.
With Adebayo playing the role of shot taker on Wednesday, the Heat’s offense was better than it was in its 86-point performance in Tuesday’s loss to the Suns. Miami finished its loss in Denver with 106 points on 49.4% shooting from the field and 13-of-32 shooting on 3s.
But the Heat’s defense just could not get enough stops.
Jimmy Butler played through a sprained right ankle, but he sat out the entire fourth quarter because of the lopsided score.
Butler finished Wednesday’s loss with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, three rebounds, nine assists and three steals in 27 minutes.
Butler played despite spraining his ankle the night before late in Tuesday’s loss to the Suns.
With Miami trailing by double digits, Butler went up for a mid-range jump shot and turned his right ankle on the landing with 11:47 remaining in the fourth quarter in Phoenix. Butler limped to the bench after Heat trainers checked on him, but he managed to return to Tuesday’s game with 7:52 to play.
Still, there was the question of how Butler’s injured ankle would respond after a postgame flight to Denver. He was listed as questionable for Wednesday’s contest, but he was eventually cleared to play against the Nuggets.
“There’s no doubt about it that Jimmy will always want to go,” coach Erik Spoelstra said before Wednesday’s game. “But we evaluated him today and he passed all the tests with the trainers and that allowed him to where we all feel comfortable with him going tonight.”
The Heat continue to take a cautious approach with veteran Goran Dragic, and there is no new update on Victor Oladipo’s injury.
Dragic played 28 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns, but he was held out of Wednesday’s game as the team opting to rest him on the second night of a back-to-back. He also missed the back end of Miami’s last back-to-back, sitting out an April 1 win over the Golden State Warriors.
“This is just something we want to monitor and be smart about,” Spoelstra said Wednesday of the team’s plan for Dragic over the final month of the regular season. “He’s feeling great. Our schedule is pretty busy and we think this will help.”
Wednesday marked the 20th game that Dragic has missed this season — two because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, three because of a left groin strain, nine because of a sprained left ankle, four because of lower back spasms, and the two he most recently missed on the second night of back-to-backs.
Dragic has no new injury, but the Heat wants to protect him because he’s a veteran who has dealt with multiple injuries this season. After Wednesday’s game in Denver, Miami has four back-to-back sets remaining on its schedule.
Dragic, who turns 35 on May 6, is expected to be back for Friday’s game against the Timberwolves in Minnesota.
As for Oladipo, he remains out indefinitely because of right knee soreness. He missed his third straight game Wednesday and is not on the trip, with the Heat saying there is no update on Oladipo’s status.
Dragic and Oladipo were the only two players unavailable for the Heat in Denver.
Without Dragic, who has played a key reserve role, Miami’s bench again was outplayed. After the Suns’ reserves outscored the Heat’s bench 65-24 on Tuesday, the Nuggets’ bench outscored the Heat’s reserves 48-34 on Wednesday.
Center Dewayne Dedmon made his Heat debut in Denver, entering with 6:14 to play and the Nuggets already in control of the game. He finished with three points and five rebounds in six minutes.
The Heat’s losing streak in Denver continues.
Wednesday’s loss marked the Heat’s fourth consecutive against the Nuggets in Denver — a skid that dates back to the 2017-18 season. Miami has lost its last three games in Denver by a combined total of 53 points.
The Heat owns a 14-21 all-time road record against the Nuggets.
________
