Nuggets vs. Heat Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 30 (Nikola Jokic Leads Denver to Statement Victory)

Nuggets vs. Heat Game Info

• Date: Friday, December 30, 2022
• Time: 9:00 PM ET
• Venue: Ball Arena -- Denver, Colorado
• Coverage: ALT and BSSUN

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Friday with eight more games, including a battle between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets. The Heat rank seventh in the Eastern Conference with an 18-17 record, while the Nuggets check in second in the Western Conference with a stellar 22-12 record.

Miami enters as a victor in six of its last eight games after taking down the Los Angeles Lakers, 112-98, on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Denver saw its five-game winning streak snapped in a 127-126 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Which playoff threat will emerge victorious on Friday night?

Nuggets vs. Heat Odds & Spread

All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Nuggets vs Heat Betting Information

Favorite	Spread	Favorite Spread Odds	Underdog Spread Odds	Total	Over Total Odds	Under Total Odds	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline
Nuggets	-4	-	-	223.5	-110	-110	-174	146

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: DEN: (-178) | MIA: (+150)
• Spread: DEN: -4 (-110) | MIA: +4 (-110)
• Total: 223.5 -- Over: (-112) | Under: (-108)

The Nuggets enter this contest as small home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 223.5 points, which is below average compared to Friday's projected totals.

Nuggets vs. Heat Betting Trends

• The Nuggets are 17-17-0 against the spread this season.
• The Heat are 4-3 ATS when underdogs by 4 points or more this year.
• This season, Nuggets games have hit the over 16 times out of 35 chances.
• Heat games this season have hit the over 16 times in 35 opportunities (45.7%).
• Against the spread, Denver has played better at home, covering eight times in 15 home games, and nine times in 19 road games.
• Miami has performed better against the spread on the road (8-8-0) than at home (5-13-1) this year.

Nuggets vs. Heat Prediction & Pick

The Heat head to Ball Arena with their top scorer questionable to suit up. Jimmy Butler is nursing an ankle injury and considered day-to-day right now. The same thing can be said about Denver's Jamal Murray (injury management) and Aaron Gordon (shoulder). There's a lot of storylines to keep up with.

One player is definitely suiting up, though, and that is Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets All-Star center is in the midst of another great season as he is putting up 25.7 points, 10.8 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game. Keep in mind he has logged a triple-double in two of his last three games against the Heat.

Denver is 7-1 straight up in its last eight games against Miami, so I'll side with the Nuggets here.

Final Score Prediction: Nuggets: 114 | Heat: 106

Nuggets vs. Heat Best Bet

Not only are the Nuggets 7-1 straight up in their last eight games against the Heat, but they are also 7-1 against the spread (ATS) during that same span. It's worth noting that six of those seven outright wins came by at least 9 points, too. Head coach Michael Malone's team knows how to run up a score.

Denver is a reliable 4-1 ATS in its last five games overall, while Miami is 4-5-1 ATS in its last 10 games overall. Where the Nuggets have the biggest advantage in this game is on the offensive end. Denver is tallying 118.5 points per home game, while Miami is racking up only 106.1 points per away game.

Bet: Denver Nuggets -4 (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.