Miami @ Denver preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 2, 2017 ) Denver 116, Miami 113

After some bumps in the road early on, the Denver Nuggets are beginning to put things together on the offensive side of the floor. The talented Nuggets scored a big rout in the opener of their six-game homestand and will try to duplicate their effort when the Miami Heat come to town Friday night.

Jamal Murray scored 24 points and Nikola Jokic produced a double-double with 16 rebounds and 10 assists in Denver's 129-111 win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, its third victory in the last four games. The Nuggets - who ranked third in the NBA in scoring last season at 111.7 - are averaging 117 points during the 3-1 surge, and Murray produced three straight games of at least 20 points while shooting 60 percent. "There's no defense we can't score on, especially with the guys we have," Murray told reporters. "We have a deep team, and everybody contributes in different ways." The Heat snapped a three-game losing streak and finished their homestand at 3-3 with Wednesday's 97-91 win over Chicago.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Miami), Altitude (Denver)

ABOUT THE HEAT (3-4): Center Hassan Whiteside (knee) returned from a five-game absence to record 13 points and 14 rebounds against the Bulls, and guard Goran Dragic led the way with 20 points as Miami picked up a much-needed win before beginning a challenging six-game trip. "It was good to finally get a result ... get a little bit closer to our identity," coach Erik Spoelstra told the media. "I liked all the emotions we had to go through. These guys want to win so badly." James Johnson was a late scratch due to a knee issue but Spoelstra said the veteran forward will travel with the team to Denver.

ABOUT THE NUGGETS (4-4): While the bevy of offensive options is nice, head coach Michael Malone knows that Denver cannot take the next step without improvements on the other end of the floor, and he was not pleased with the end of Wednesday's game. "We gave up 40 points in the fourth quarter, which is unacceptable," Malone told reporters. "I don't give a crap what that score is, how much you're up. Our defense in the last six minutes was embarrassing." Malone did credit Paul Millsap for some solid play, as the 32-year-old scored a season-high 20 points two nights after a 2-for-13 shooting effort in a loss to the New York Knicks.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Whiteside averaged 20.5 points on 58.6 percent shooting, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots against Denver last season.

2. Jokic has four double-doubles in his last five games.

3. The road team won both meetings last season and Miami claimed four of its last five in Denver.

PREDICTION: Nuggets 113, Heat 103