Amidst injuries, Nuggets' reserves ready to shine versus Heat

With Jameer Nelson (right calf strain) not expected to play Sunday night versus the Miami Heat, second-year point guard Emmanuel Mudiay is set for his first significant minutes since March 1.

Denver’s win in Milwaukee at the onset of March was also the last and only game Nelson, the Nuggets’ starting point guard for 39 games this season, has missed this season. In the Nuggets’ win over the Bucks on March 1, Mudiay played 18 minutes and scored nine points on 4-9 shooting. Expect the 6-foot-5 point guard to get a similar amount of exposure tonight in South Beach.

Since beginning the year as Denver’s starting one, Mudiay fell out of the Nuggets’ rotation, initially because of injury, and then due to poor play. Mudiay injured his back in the Nuggets’ win over the Clippers on Jan. 21 and was sidelined for roughly the next two weeks.

By then, Nelson had taken the starting point guard job and run with it. Up until that point, Mudiay had guided the Nuggets to a highly-potent offense, to a greater extent than Nelson, but the veteran’s presence proved to be a steady hand in Denver’s backcourt throughout the second half of the season.

In 50 games (41 starts) for Denver this season Mudiay is averaging 10.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.3 turnovers this season. The 21-year-old is shooting just 37.1 percent from the field this season and 31.1 percent from three, similar percentages to his rookie year. Nelson is enjoying his best season since 2012-13, averaging 9.2 points and 5.1 assists on 44.5 percent shooting from the field and 39.0 percent shooting from three.

Here’s Denver’s offensive and defensive efficiency with Mudiay and then Nelson as the starting point guard since Dec. 15 (when Nikola Jokic became Denver’s starting center), not counting the one game Nelson missed due to illness.

Sunday in Miami could be the start of an opportunity for Mudiay to give Denver management another look at what he can offer the team over the last seven games of the regular season and next year. Rookie Jamal Murray will start his fourth game of the year but just his second at point guard.

Will Barton (left foot soreness) and Darrell Arthur (left knee soreness) will also sit tonight against the Heat. It will be the second consecutive game Barton will miss because of his foot.

Rookie Malik Beasley, who spent the past week in Sioux Falls with the D-League’s Skyforce, will rejoin the team Sunday in Miami.

In the Skyforce’s win Saturday in Austin, Beasley recorded 22 and 8 rebounds. That was on the heels of a 32-point outing on 11-20 shooting, including 5-8 from three, 19 rebounds and 7 assists Thursday, in a loss to the Oklahoma City Blue.

Beasley averaged 18.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 31.1 minutes per game for the Skyforce across 16 D-League appearances this season.

With Barton sidelined, Beasley could see some run with a Nuggets bench unit that will be down a couple players. The No. 19 overall pick in last summer’s draft has only seen playing time in 19 games this season for Denver. Beasley’s season-high in minutes came back on Nov. 10 against Golden State when the rookie scored 12 points on 5-10 shooting in 15 minutes.

The Heat have lost three of their last five but are battling for the eighth seed in the East. Entering tonight, Miami is tied with Indiana for the Conference’s last playoff spot but have gone just 3-4 without Dion Waiters, who’s missed the Heat’s last seven games with a sprained left ankle.

Playoff Update

The Nuggets sit two-and-a-half games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the eighth seed in the West. If Portland goes 3-3 over their last six, the Nuggets would have to run the table in their last seven regular season games to regain the eighth spot.

Regular season game No. 76 | Denver Nuggets (35-40) at Miami Heat (37-39)

American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida | 4:00 PM MST | TV: Altitude