NBA Spreads: Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
The Denver Nuggets will look send the Miami Heat to their second straight loss, when the two teams meet up at the Pepsi Center tonight. The Nuggets come in off a 132-98 win over the Phoenix Suns at home on Tuesday, while the Heat had their 13 game road winning streak snapped by the Los Angeles Clippers last night. Our NBA spreads have the Heat favored by just 1-point over the Nuggets.
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The big question for Miami has to be the health of LeBron James. Late in last night’s game, James sprained his left ankle, and while he stayed in the game, you could tell that it was bothering him. While there is no question that James wants to play against the Nuggets, there’s a good chance Miami will choose to rest him tonight.
That could be a big problem for the Heat. Last night James had 27 points, six assists, and eight rebounds. Between James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, the trio had 84 of their 105 points. The only other person to score more than four points was Mario Chalmers, who had 14 off the bench.
If James is unable to play, Miami is going to need a big night from Wade and Bosh, but where the loss will really hurt the Heat is they lose one of their best defensive players, and more than likely the guy who would be guarding Carmelo Anthony.
After a miserable shooting night against the Hornets, Anthony had 28 points and 10 rebounds, and from the sound of things, Anthony has been waiting for this game all season. The good news for Anthony is he has plenty of help.
Arron Afflalo scored a career-high 31 points on 11-14 shooting against the Suns, and J.R. Smith and Ty Lawson combined for 31 points of the bench. The Nuggets can attack you from all over the floor, and if they come focused on playing basketball and aren’t worrying about all the trade talk, they have a great shot at taking down Miami even if James plays.
With there being a good chance James doesn’t play, I suggest jumping on the Nuggets at +1 at home before they are giving points away. Denver has won nine straight at home over the Heat, but all of those wins came before the dynamic three were formed this past offseason. If you want to be safe, just wait till closer to game time to see if LeBron’s injury status has changed.
For more help with who to take this season, check out what our experts have to offer in their daily NBA picks.
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