Denver at Miami

I don't think anyone in or around the NBA would have pictured the Denver Nuggets having the best record in the West eight days into January, but that is the case. Denver comes in at 26-12, pacing the Western Conference. On the strength of an 8-3 run, Miami has gotten themselves back to .500. That should be enough to strengthen the mindset of the Nuggets to bring their "A" game. Miami will play at a slow pace and try to control the clock. Looking at their last four biggest games vs. Toronto, Milwaukee, Houston, and Utah, none of the games produced more than 210 total points and in fact, the average points scored in those games was 196.5. Denver is atop the West for one reason, they play fast or slow equally well, and don't think they lose patience here in a game played at a much slower than average pace. I like the Nuggets on the moneyline and the UNDER in this one.