Nov 3, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) celebrates at the end of the game against the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Miami Heat started their four-game road trip with consecutive losses but can finish with two wins when they face the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
Miami lost to the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers to kick off the trip but rallied to beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. The Heat will try to duplicate the success against the franchise that beat them in the 2023 NBA Finals.
Miami’s roster has evolved since that series, with Bam Adebayo being the only rotation player remaining from that team. Adebayo has played well this season, averaging 22.4 points and 9.1 rebounds in six games, and is one of five Heat players averaging double figures in scoring.
One of those is Norman Powell, who returned Monday night after missing the previous three games with a groin injury. He leads the team with a 24-point average in the three games he has played. He scored 21 points to help beat his former team Monday night, 120-119.
Powell played three-plus seasons in Los Angeles and was the second-leading scorer on last year’s squad before being traded to Miami in the offseason.
The Heat will attempt to do something they haven’t done in nine years — win a regular season game in the Mile High City. Miami has lost eight straight there outside of its Game 2 victory in 2023. Prior to that its last win in Colorado was Nov. 30, 2016, when Nikola Jokic was a rookie.
“It’s been a long time,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra after Monday night’s win. “We’ll play it on Mount Everest if we have to.”
Miami will have to stop Jokic to have a chance to break the streak, but the Nuggets can win in different ways. They needed Jokic’s offense to beat Sacramento on Monday night — he had a season-high 34 points — but they haven’t had to rely as heavily on the three-time MVP this season as they did last year.
Jokic is averaging a triple-double in the first seven games — 22.7 points, 13.2 rebounds and 11.3 assists — but Jamal Murray (24.2 points a game) is off to a strong start and Aaron Gordon has played well after an injury-plagued 2024-25.
Gordon scored a career-high 50 in the season opener and leads the starters in 3-point shooting at 48.4 percent. Bruce Brown leads the team at 50 percent from deep but his value to the team is his all-around game off the bench.
He showed it Monday night with 13 points and six rebounds against the Kings.
“He was really good for us. He had amazing energy, of course, like he always does,” Jokic said of Brown. “It’s good to see him playing that way. He’s going to help us a lot playing that way the whole year.”
Denver’s bench has been vital to a good start. Four reserves are averaging double digits in minutes and give the starting unit a chance to stay fresh. Jonas Valanciunas has allowed Jokic to sit longer stretches without a huge drop-off.
“Having Valanciunas is such a big deal,” said Nuggets coach David Adelman.
–Field Level Media
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![Deadspin | College basketball’s tallest player Olivier Rioux heads to UC Irvine Florida center Olivier Rioux (32) greets fans after Florida’s 114-55 win over Prairie View A&M of the NCAA March Madness opening round at Benchmark international Arena in Tampa, FL on Friday, March 20, 2026. .[Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] Olivier Rioux, who at 7-foot-9 is the tallest player in college basketball history, has committed to play for UC Irvine. The Canadian center redshirted for Florida during its 2024-25 national championship season and played in just 11 games in 2025-26. “Next stop, Irvine, California,” Rioux wrote Thursday on Instagram. Rioux’s exit follows the commitment of Florida stars Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon to return for the 2026-27 season. Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Rueben Chinyelu has entered the NBA draft but also is expected to return. Rioux finished his Florida career with seven points, six rebounds and one assist in 16 minutes. He had a dunk in the Gators’ first-round NCAA Tournament win against Prairie View A&M on March 20. UC Irvine won the Big West Conference regular season title but lost to Hawaii in the league’s tournament. “We are excited to welcome Olivier Rioux to our program,” Anteaters head coach Russell Turner said. “Olivier is a high-character young man whose presence will elevate our team, our university, and our community. He embodies the values that have defined our success at UC Irvine. “We’ve built a strong relationship with Olivier and his family over the years, dating back to his high school recruitment, and that familiarity gives us tremendous belief in who he is both on and off the court. Olivier’s unique skill set and physical presence align perfectly with the tradition of dominant front court players in our program. We believe he will have an immediate impact and continue to grow within our system, and we are thrilled to have him join the Anteater family.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #College #basketballs #tallest #player #Olivier #Rioux #heads #Irvine](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28553879.jpg "Deadspin | College basketball’s tallest player Olivier Rioux heads to UC Irvine Florida center Olivier Rioux (32) greets fans after Florida’s 114-55 win over Prairie View A&M of the NCAA March Madness opening round at Benchmark international Arena in Tampa, FL on Friday, March 20, 2026. .[Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] Olivier Rioux, who at 7-foot-9 is the tallest player in college basketball history, has committed to play for UC Irvine. The Canadian center redshirted for Florida during its 2024-25 national championship season and played in just 11 games in 2025-26. “Next stop, Irvine, California,” Rioux wrote Thursday on Instagram. Rioux’s exit follows the commitment of Florida stars Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon to return for the 2026-27 season. Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Rueben Chinyelu has entered the NBA draft but also is expected to return. Rioux finished his Florida career with seven points, six rebounds and one assist in 16 minutes. He had a dunk in the Gators’ first-round NCAA Tournament win against Prairie View A&M on March 20. UC Irvine won the Big West Conference regular season title but lost to Hawaii in the league’s tournament. “We are excited to welcome Olivier Rioux to our program,” Anteaters head coach Russell Turner said. “Olivier is a high-character young man whose presence will elevate our team, our university, and our community. He embodies the values that have defined our success at UC Irvine. “We’ve built a strong relationship with Olivier and his family over the years, dating back to his high school recruitment, and that familiarity gives us tremendous belief in who he is both on and off the court. Olivier’s unique skill set and physical presence align perfectly with the tradition of dominant front court players in our program. We believe he will have an immediate impact and continue to grow within our system, and we are thrilled to have him join the Anteater family.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #College #basketballs #tallest #player #Olivier #Rioux #heads #Irvine")
![Deadspin | College basketball’s tallest player Olivier Rioux heads to UC Irvine Florida center Olivier Rioux (32) greets fans after Florida’s 114-55 win over Prairie View A&M of the NCAA March Madness opening round at Benchmark international Arena in Tampa, FL on Friday, March 20, 2026. .[Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] Olivier Rioux, who at 7-foot-9 is the tallest player in college basketball history, has committed to play for UC Irvine. The Canadian center redshirted for Florida during its 2024-25 national championship season and played in just 11 games in 2025-26. “Next stop, Irvine, California,” Rioux wrote Thursday on Instagram. Rioux’s exit follows the commitment of Florida stars Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon to return for the 2026-27 season. Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Rueben Chinyelu has entered the NBA draft but also is expected to return. Rioux finished his Florida career with seven points, six rebounds and one assist in 16 minutes. He had a dunk in the Gators’ first-round NCAA Tournament win against Prairie View A&M on March 20. UC Irvine won the Big West Conference regular season title but lost to Hawaii in the league’s tournament. “We are excited to welcome Olivier Rioux to our program,” Anteaters head coach Russell Turner said. “Olivier is a high-character young man whose presence will elevate our team, our university, and our community. He embodies the values that have defined our success at UC Irvine. “We’ve built a strong relationship with Olivier and his family over the years, dating back to his high school recruitment, and that familiarity gives us tremendous belief in who he is both on and off the court. Olivier’s unique skill set and physical presence align perfectly with the tradition of dominant front court players in our program. We believe he will have an immediate impact and continue to grow within our system, and we are thrilled to have him join the Anteater family.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #College #basketballs #tallest #player #Olivier #Rioux #heads #Irvine](https://i2.wp.com/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28553879.jpg?ssl=1 "Deadspin | College basketball’s tallest player Olivier Rioux heads to UC Irvine Florida center Olivier Rioux (32) greets fans after Florida’s 114-55 win over Prairie View A&M of the NCAA March Madness opening round at Benchmark international Arena in Tampa, FL on Friday, March 20, 2026. .[Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] Olivier Rioux, who at 7-foot-9 is the tallest player in college basketball history, has committed to play for UC Irvine. The Canadian center redshirted for Florida during its 2024-25 national championship season and played in just 11 games in 2025-26. “Next stop, Irvine, California,” Rioux wrote Thursday on Instagram. Rioux’s exit follows the commitment of Florida stars Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon to return for the 2026-27 season. Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Rueben Chinyelu has entered the NBA draft but also is expected to return. Rioux finished his Florida career with seven points, six rebounds and one assist in 16 minutes. He had a dunk in the Gators’ first-round NCAA Tournament win against Prairie View A&M on March 20. UC Irvine won the Big West Conference regular season title but lost to Hawaii in the league’s tournament. “We are excited to welcome Olivier Rioux to our program,” Anteaters head coach Russell Turner said. “Olivier is a high-character young man whose presence will elevate our team, our university, and our community. He embodies the values that have defined our success at UC Irvine. “We’ve built a strong relationship with Olivier and his family over the years, dating back to his high school recruitment, and that familiarity gives us tremendous belief in who he is both on and off the court. Olivier’s unique skill set and physical presence align perfectly with the tradition of dominant front court players in our program. We believe he will have an immediate impact and continue to grow within our system, and we are thrilled to have him join the Anteater family.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #College #basketballs #tallest #player #Olivier #Rioux #heads #Irvine")
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