The Denver Nuggets are coming off the peak of their season so far. The win they picked up on Wednesday was the first great win of this campaign. They went in as underdogs, and they came out on top. It took great games from everyone to happen, but they did just that – at least for the most part. Russell Westbrook had 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. He had a vintage Russ game, and the Nuggets are currently 3-0 with Russ as a starter. Aaron Gordon will miss this one, as he’s slated to miss a couple weeks or more with a calf strain. Jamal Murray has a shot at playing, but is listed as questionable. So he’s up in the air. The Heat have been a middling team this season, and it’s a good chance for the Nuggets to stock another win.

The Essentials

Who: Denver Nuggets (5-3) vs Miami Heat (3-4)

When: 7:00PM MST

Where: The Can. Denver, CO.

How to watch/listen: Altitude TV where available, NBA League Pass if not in the Nuggets market. Altitude radio 92.5 FM. Dress up as a mini Rocky and say that you’re doing a routine that’s inspired by Russian nesting dolls.

Injury report: Vlatko Cancar – out (ankle), DaRon Holmes II – out (achilles), Aaron Gordon – out (calf), Jamal Murray – questionable (concussion); Jamie Jacquez Jr. – questionable (conditioning), Kevin Love – out (conditioning)

The Three Things

The Thing To Watch For: The No Point Guard Lineup

The Nuggets closed their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a lineup that featured no point guards. If Jamal Murray misses the game, it’ll be a lineup that should get some run. According to Cleaning The Glass, the lineup of Julian Strawther/Christian Braun/Peyton Watson/Michael Porter Jr./Nikola Jokic is a +54.5 in the 20 minutes they’ve played so far. That level of positive net rating obviously won’t sustain, but it may be an answer to what the Nuggets should do if they’re missing a couple of starters.

The Thing To Remember: The Heat Are A Weird Team

In a rematch of the 2023 NBA Finals, Nuggets fans should recall how weird a team the Miami Heat could be. Especially this season. Russell Westbrook currently has a higher true shooting percentage than Bam Adebayo. Tyler Herro has been probably their best player. They just have so many weird things going on. They’re unpredictable, and who knows what this game will contain. One thing I will note, the Heat typically get off to hot starts, no pun intended. Then they cool off massively, so as long as the Nuggets can hang around until the second half they should figure it out.

The Thing To Listen To: Spain by The Elba Triangle

Today, I’m leaving a cover of the Chic Corea classic Spain for you guys to listen to. It’s a bit more uptempo than the original, and I listen to it when I’m playing basketball or soccer. It’s a track that can get people hyped up, and just generally carries a positive tone to me. Coming off of that Thunder win, it’d be hard for me to offer a song that doesn’t improve the vibes.

We regret to inform everyone that our Stiffs Night Out at Number 38 tonight is cancelled due to weather. Rest assured there will be many more Stiffs Night Out to come this season. Stay safe out there!