The Denver Nuggets are in the midst of the high point of their season so far. The victory they achieved on Wednesday was the first major victory of this campaign. They went in as underdogs and came out on top. It took great games from everyone to make it happen, but that’s exactly what they did – at least for the most part. Russell Westbrook had 29 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. He had a vintage Russ match and the Nuggets are currently 3-0 with Russ as the starter. Aaron Gordon will miss this one as he will miss a few weeks or more with a calf strain. Jamal Murray has a chance to play but is considered questionable. So it’s up in the air. The Heat have been an average team this season and it’s a good chance for the Nuggets to win again.

The essence

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

When: 7:00 PM MST

Where: The can. Denver, CO

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

What to pay attention to: The No Point Guard lineup

The Nuggets ended their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a lineup without point guards. If Jamal Murray misses the game, it will be a lineup that should get the edge. According to Cleaning The Glass, the Julian Strawther/Christian Braun/Peyton Watson/Michael Porter Jr./Nikola Jokic lineup is +54.5 in the 20 minutes they have played so far. That level of positive net rating obviously won’t last, but it could be an answer to what the Nuggets should do if they’re missing a few starters.

What to remember: The Heat are a weird team

In a rematch of the 2023 NBA Finals, Nuggets fans should remember just how weird of 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 probably been their best player. They just have so many weird things going on. They are unpredictable and who knows what this game will contain. One thing I will note: the Heat usually gets off to a hot start, no pun intended. They cool off tremendously after that, so as long as the Nuggets can hang around until the second half, they should figure it out.

The thing to listen to: Spain through the Elba Triangle

Today I leave you with a cover of the Chic Corea classic Spain for you to listen to. It’s a little more uptempo than the original, and I listen to it when I play basketball or football. It’s a song that can get people excited, and for me it has an overall positive tone. After that Thunder win, it would be difficult for me to offer a song that doesn’t improve the atmosphere.

We regret to inform everyone that our Stiffs Night Out at Number 38 this evening has been canceled due to weather conditions. Rest assured, there will be plenty more Stiffs Night Out this season. Stay safe out there!