Denver Nuggets vs Miami Heat Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/17/2025

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, January 17, 2025

Venue:  Kaseya Center, Miami, FL 

Where to Watch:  ALT

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Nuggets +2.5, Heat -2.5; Over/Under:  224 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Nuggets +2.5, Heat -2.5; Over/Under:  224 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Nuggets +2.5, Heat -2.5; Over/Under:  224.5 points

Denver Nuggets:  24-16 (2nd place, Northwest Division)

Miami Heat:  20-19 (3rd place, Southeast Division)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Tom Stryker is on a HOT STREAK in the NBA on a 12-4 NBA RUN for +$7,550 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Denver Nuggets:  7-3 last 10

Miami Heat:  5-5 last 10

The Nuggets are entering this game with a 24-16 record overall this season and they are 12-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Houston Rockets. Christian Braun and Jamal Murray each led the team in points in that game with 22 while Russell Westbrook was next on the team with 17 points. Jamal Murray, Dario Šarić, and Jalen Pickett each led the team in assists in that game with 5 while DeAndre Jordan led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 53.3% from the field, 48.3% from 3-point range, and 66.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 120 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116 PPG against them. The Nuggets have an ATS record of 19-20-1 this season and their O/U record is 25-15.

The Heat are entering this game with a 20-19 record overall this season and they are 10-7 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers. Tyler Herro led the team in points in that game with 34 while Haywood Highsmith and Nikola Jović each were next on the team with 12 points. Nikola Jović led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Kel'el Ware led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 53.4% from the field, 44.4% from 3-point range, and 93.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 110.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 109.5 PPG against them. The Heat have an ATS record of 17-22 this season and their O/U record is 21-18.

The current betting odds have the Nuggets listed as a 2.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Nuggets have looked really good in their games this season with their 24-16 record overall which has them right near the top of the West. They had a slower start to the season, but now they are 7-3 in their last 10 games and are starting to roll over teams as they climb up the standings. They haven't been bad in their road games either, going 12-8 in road games this season, and they are coming off a bad loss at home to the Rockets in their last one so they will be looking to bounce back in this game. Meanwhile, the Heat haven't looked great in their games this season with their 20-19 record overall which has them in the bottom half of the East. They have looked better on their home court with their 10-7 home record, but they are coming off a bad loss to the Lakers in their last one and haven't looked great lately. They have lost 2 games in a row now and are only 5-5 in their last 10 games. There has also been a lot of rumors surrounding Jimmy Butler so this Heat team definitely hasn't been playing at their best lately. The Heat have been really up and down all season while the Nuggets have looked a lot better over the last month and they can take advantage of the way the Heat have been playing lately to bounce back from their home loss. The best way to place a bet here is on the Nuggets to cover the spread in this game. 

Nuggets Heat Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Friday, January 17, 2025 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Nuggets 122 Heats 110.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Denver Nuggets Miami Heat prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NBA predictions and previews.

Denver Nuggets: 16-7 ATS off a home loss. 9-4 ATS after a blowout loss by 20 points or more. 27-14 ATS when playing 6 or more games in 10 days. 50-36 UNDER when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%). 23-16 UNDER in January games.

Miami Heat: 8-18 ATS as a home underdog. 28-43 ATS versus poor defensive teams - allowing 116+ points/game. 15-23 ATS in January games. 25-15 UNDER after playing 3 consecutive road games. 30-21 UNDER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 70%). 27-13 UNDER in January games.

Denver Nuggets:  A. Gordon (PF) Day To Day - Calf. N. Jokic (C) Day To Day - Elbow. V. Čančar (PF) Out - Knee. D. Holmes (PF) Out For Season - Achilles.

Miami Heat:  J. Richardson (SG) Day To Day - Heel. D. Smith Out For Season - Achilles.

“He hurt his elbow. It was just something that popped up last minute.” - Michael Malone on the injury to Nikola Jokic after his team’s loss against the Rockets in their game on Wednesday.

“I can step back, I can see that we made a lot of strides. Guys have stepped up and played well over the course of this road trip. We had an opportunity to have a winning record and we just couldn’t get it done tonight. But we’ll get out of here, get ready for an important game on Friday at home.” - Erik Spoelstra after his team’s loss against the LA Lakers in their game on Wednesday.

PG Jamal Murray

SG Christian Braun

SF Michael Porter Jr.

PF Aaron Gordon

C Nikola Jokic

PG Tyler Herro

SG Terry Rozier

SF Jimmy Butler 

PF Haywood Highsmith

C Bam Adebayo

PPG: N. Jokić (30.6)

APG: N. Jokić (9.9)

Reb/G: N. Jokić (13.2)

PPG: T. Herro (24.3)

APG: T. Herro (5)

Reb/G: B. Adebayo (9.6)

Coaches:

Denver Nuggets: Michael Malone (10th season)

Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra (17th season)