The Miami Warmth began their four-game highway journey with consecutive losses however can end with two wins after they face the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday evening.
Miami misplaced to the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers to kick off the journey however rallied to beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday evening. The Warmth will attempt to duplicate the success towards the franchise that beat them within the 2023 NBA Finals.
Miami’s roster has advanced since that collection, with Bam Adebayo being the one rotation participant remaining from that crew. Adebayo has performed nicely this season, averaging 22.4 factors and 9.1 rebounds in six video games, and is certainly one of 5 Warmth gamers averaging double figures in scoring.
A kind of is Norman Powell, who returned Monday evening after lacking the earlier three video games with a groin damage. He leads the crew with a 24-point common within the three video games he has performed. He scored 21 factors to assist beat his former crew Monday evening, 120-119.
Powell performed three-plus seasons in Los Angeles and was the second-leading scorer on final yr’s squad earlier than being traded to Miami within the offseason.
The Warmth will try and do one thing they have not carried out in 9 years — win an everyday season recreation within the Mile Excessive Metropolis. Miami has misplaced eight straight there exterior of its Sport 2 victory in 2023. Previous to that its final win in Colorado was Nov. 30, 2016, when Nikola Jokic was a rookie.
“It has been a very long time,” stated Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra after Monday evening’s win. “We’ll play it on Mount Everest if now we have to.”
Miami should cease Jokic to have an opportunity to interrupt the streak, however the Nuggets can win in several methods. They wanted Jokic’s offense to beat Sacramento on Monday evening — he had a season-high 34 factors — however they have not needed to rely as closely on the three-time MVP this season as they did final yr.
Jokic is averaging a triple-double within the first seven video games — 22.7 factors, 13.2 rebounds and 11.3 assists — however Jamal Murray (24.2 factors a recreation) is off to a robust begin and Aaron Gordon has performed nicely after an injury-plagued 2024-25.
Gordon scored a career-high 50 within the season opener and leads the starters in 3-point taking pictures at 48.4 p.c. Bruce Brown leads the crew at 50 p.c from deep however his worth to the crew is his all-around recreation off the bench.
He confirmed it Monday evening with 13 factors and 6 rebounds towards the Kings.
“He was actually good for us. He had superb vitality, after all, like he at all times does,” Jokic stated of Brown. “It is good to see him enjoying that means. He’ll assist us lots enjoying that means the entire yr.”
Denver’s bench has been important to begin. 4 reserves are averaging double digits in minutes and provides the beginning unit an opportunity to remain contemporary. Jonas Valanciunas has allowed Jokic to sit down longer stretches with out an enormous drop-off.
“Having Valanciunas is such an enormous deal,” stated Nuggets coach David Adelman.
–Subject Stage Media
