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In an enthralling night of NBA action, two of the league's elite sides face off as the Denver Nuggets host the Miami Heat at the Ball Arena.
Both teams come into the matchup on the back of losses, with the Denver Nuggets looking to end a two-game skid that has seen the Lakers close the gap on them to half a game. In their last outing against the Golden State Warriors, the Nuggets defense were run ragged by Steph Curry's scoring brilliance but the worst storyline to come out of the fixture was Jamal Murray's season-ending ACL injury.
How much Murray's absence will affect the Denver Nuggets' hopes of an NBA championship challenge is yet to be known. However, the likes of Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon are going to have to step up on offense to fill in for his missing points, while Nikola Jokic may get yet more of the ball each night.
As for the Miami Heat, they come into this game on the back of a cold shooting night against the Phoenix Suns in which they were blown out by 20 points.
Miami Heat vs Denver Nuggets: Injury Report
Miami Heat
The only player sidelined for the Miami Heat is new signing Victor Oladipo. Since an incident in the win against the LA Lakers last week, the 28-year-old has been absent from the starting lineup and is seeking advice on how to deal with his right knee soreness.
Thankfully for the player and franchise, there doesn't appear to be any new structural damage. Therefore, Miami Heat fans could see Oladipo back on the court before the end of the season or in the playoffs. However, there is no official timetable as of yet for his return.
Miami Heat fans were fearful that one of their other stars, Jimmy Butler, may be out injured after twisting his ankle against Phoenix. Butler got back up and played on, though it will likely be a game-time decision.
Denver Nuggets
The biggest news to come out of Denver this week was the ACL injury suffered by Jamal Murray. As the Nuggets' second-leading scorer per game, Murray is going to be a huge miss on offense with either Monte Morris or Facundo Campazzo taking his place in the starting lineup.
Apart from Murray, the Denver Nuggets also remain without Shaquille Harrison, who is sidelined due to the league's health and safety protocols.
Miami Heat vs Denver Nuggets: Predicted Lineups
Miami Heat
At the time of writing, no Miami players are expected to be rested in this tough matchup despite the team playing on Tuesday night. Fans will hope their players can remain unscathed during their hectic fixture schedule coming up, in which they play eight games in the next twelve days.
With Oladipo out, Kendrick Nunn and Goran Dragic have stepped up in the Heat backcourt alongside sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, who has played in all but one of Miami's games this season. Should Jimmy Butler be passed fit to play, he will join veteran Trevor Ariza again in the frontcourt.
The most intriguing matchup against the Denver Nuggets will come in the paint as young Heat star Bam Adebayo faces off against Nikola Jokic. In their last meeting, Adebayo was able to help limit Jokic to 21 points, though with Jamal Murray out we can expect the Serbian center to have a lot more field-goal attempts.
Denver Nuggets
With Jamal Murray sidelined, Monte Morris could come into the Denver Nuggets starting five on Wednesday night. Morris is averaging over 10 points this season and 3.3 assists and is expected to be more aggressive on offense with his expanded role.
New star Aaron Gordon and young Michael Porter Jr. will also be looking to gain more touches of the ball and become even more involved in the Nuggets offense going forward. Gordon has averaged 11.3 points and 4.3 boards since arriving in Denver, while Porter Jr. has continued his development in a major way this campaign, putting up more than 17 points per night on 53% shooting.
Nikola Jokic, in his pursuit of the MVP, could see his stock grow for the award as he looks to take his leadership of the Denver Nuggets team to a new level in their postseason run.
Miami Heat vs Denver Nuggets: Predicted Starting 5s
Miami Heat
Point Guard - Kendrick Nunn | Shooting Guard - Duncan Robinson | Small Forward - Jimmy Butler | Power Forward - Trevor Ariza | Center - Bam Adebayo.
Denver Nuggets
Point Guard - Monte Morris | Shooting Guard - Will Barton | Small Forward - Michael Porter Jr. | Power Forward - Zach LaVine | Center - Nikola Jokic.
