Hassan Whiteside swats 11 shots, leads Miami Heat to win over Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets held a 16 point lead at halftime, their biggest halftime lead of the season, but couldn’t hold on as Hassan Whiteside and his 11 blocks led the Miami Heat, playing without Dwyane Wade, to a 98-95 win in Denver. Whiteside finished the game with a  Mutombo-style triple-double adding 19 points and 17 rebounds to go along with his plethora of blocks. The loss puts a halt to the Nuggets winning streak to start their homestand and ends Miami’s three game slide as they look forward to a matchup on Sunday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder

When/Where

Friday, Jan. 15, 2016 at Pepsi Center – Denver, CO

Star of the Game

Darrell Arthur – DA had another impressive game that included a couple of clutch jumpers in the 4th quarter that nearly led the Nuggets back to victory. His midrange game opens up so much for the rest of the Nuggets and his improved play is certainly a large reason the Nuggets have improved as a team over the past week. Arthur finished with 18 points on 8-12 shooting, 8 rebounds and two steals.

Turning Point

Hassan Whiteside spiked a Gary Harris layup attempt into the floor with 9.5 minutes left in the game and Justice Winslow followed that up with a 3 pointer, making the score 85-82 and giving the Heat their first lead of the game since it was 15-14 eight minutes into the first quarter.

Rookie Point Guards, Mudiay and… Jokic?

Emmanuel Mudiay has his best game since returning from his ankle injury, leading the Nuggets with 12 first half points, and finishing with 16 points, two made 3-pointers and four assists, but it was fellow rookie Nikola Jokic who impressed the most tonight with his court vision and passing ability. Jokic was finding open shooters from the paint and had a beauty of a no-look pass that lead to a Darrell Arthur layup in the first half.

Block Party

Whiteside started slowly with only one block in the first quarter, but he picked up three more in the second and finished with 11, making him 0ne of only two players with 11 blocks  against Nuggets in the past 30 years, the other being another perpetual thorn in the Nuggets’ sides, Serge Ibaka. They shot well early on, but Whiteside’s presence in the paint was clearly having an effect on Denver shots selection from the get-go as the Nuggets were outscored 30-18 in the paint in the first half despite their big lead and ended up with a 50-22 lead by the final whistle.

Welcome to the NBA Sean Kilpatrick

Sean Kilpatrick checked into the game with 8 seconds left in the first half and managed to be a part of a rare 5 second violation on the ensuing inbound attempt by the Heat. There is no official statistic for 5-second-violations-caused however, leaving Kilpatrick with a box score full of zeroes in his first NBA action. Here’s to a brighter future filled with more statistics for the Cincinnati Bearcat legend!

Play of the Game

Emmanuel Mudiay made a number of fantastic plays, but his emphatic dunk over Hassan Whiteside was definitely the play of the night for the Nuggets. It was one of the few times a Nuggets player made any attempt to challenge Whiteside inside.

By the Numbers

The Nuggets started the game 5-5 from the 3-point line and ended up 6-18. Had they even made two of those final 13 3-point attempts, the outcome of the game may have been different. Danilo Gallinari had an especially tough night, shooting just 2-10 from the field and 1-5 from deep. The Whiteside effect was on full display tonight, take a look at the Nuggets shot chart from tonight and compare it to the team’s season averages:

Quote of the Game

“The ball stopped moving and we did not guard the paint at all.” – Head coach Michael Malone

Lasting Impact

The Nuggets fall to 2.5 games behind the Jazz for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and now sit just three games ahead of the Timberwolves, who have the second-to-worst record in the conference. They had a chance to build on the confidence and momentum gained from the Warriors win, but instead fall back into the West’s lottery purgatory.

Up Next

Sunday, January 17 vs. Indiana Pacers, 6:00 p.m. MST

The Nuggets get another taste of the Eastern Conference and their first look at the rejuvinated Paul George as the Pacers visit the Pepsi Center on Sunday for the fourth game of their eight game homestand. Also, go Broncos!