Denver Nuggets reclaim #1 seed with win over Miami Heat: Michael Porter Jr. makes the difference

In this rematch of the 2023 NBA Finals, it was the Denver Nuggets who came out on top once again, this time defeating the Miami Heat 100-88 at Kaseya Center behind Michael Porter Jr.’s elite shooting.

The Nuggets are looking like the best team in the West and their record finally shows it, as they were able to reclaim the #1 seed in the West. They defeated the title favorites in the Boston Celtics last week and are looking to repeat as NBA champions behind their superstar Nikola Jokic.

In this game, the Joker had a “quiet game” to his normal standards, as he finished with 12 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists, which would be elite for any other NBA big man. Michael Porter Jr. led the way in this matchup, scoring 25 points and hitting 5 three pointers. Aaron Gordon recorded 16 points and 8 boards while Jamal Murray had 14 points.

The Heat are without Tyler Herro and it was just announced that he is without a timetable to return which is bad news for this team. In this contest, Bam Adebayo led the way, finishing with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Jimmy Butler had 15 points while Terry Rozier scored 14. Duncan Robinson recorded 11 points and 6 rebounds on 50% shooting.

Denver improves to 46-20 with this win and now hold a 0.5 game lead over OKC for the top seed in the West. This was a huge win for the Nuggets as they’d like to secure the 1st seed in order to have home court advantage in the playoffs. They are on a roll, winning 4 in a row and going 9-1 over their last 10 games. Next up will be a road matchup against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

Miami drops to 35-30 with this loss and is now the 8th seed in the East. The Heat are continuing to fall in the standings and this isn’t ideal for the reigning Eastern Conference champs who are looking to make another deep playoff run. They are on a 4-game losing streak and will look to bounce back against the Detroit Pistons on Friday.