What led to the Miami Heat's game against the Denver Nuggets getting out of hand?

What Led to the Miami Heat's Game Against the Denver Nuggets Getting Out of Hand?

On Wednesday night, the Miami Heat lost to the Denver Nuggets 122-112. Although the final score doesn't reflect a blowout, the game slipped away from the Heat in the first half, and they were unable to regain control afterward.

Key Factors in the Game's Outcome

Rebounding Battle

The Heat entered the game having lost ten straight regular season games to the Nuggets. They were still missing their top scorer, Tyler Herro, while the Nuggets featured arguably their strongest roster in the Nikola Jokic era. Despite these challenges, the Heat largely lost their chance to win during the first half due to a significant rebounding disparity.

This disparity resulted in the Nuggets having 16 more field goal attempts than the Heat in the first half and an outstanding offensive rating of 123.6, which would rank first in the NBA. In contrast, the Heat's offensive rating was 111.1, placing them 25th in the league.

Overcoming such a possession gap is extremely challenging, especially against a top-tier championship contender led by arguably the best big man and player in the world.

"Despite Nikola Jokic having his way with the Heat, scoring 33 points on 66% shooting..."

The Heat struggled to contain Jokic’s dominance, contributing to their inability to recover control of the game.

Summary

The rebounding deficit and Jokic’s commanding performance in the first half were critical to the Heat losing momentum and ultimately falling to the Nuggets.

Author's Conclusion

The Miami Heat’s loss was largely due to their rebounding struggles and failure to contain Nikola Jokic, which let Denver dominate possessions and the game's tempo from early on.

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Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated — 2025-11-06

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