Getty Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler.
The Miami Heat (41-24) and the Denver Nuggets (43-22) will face off in one of Saturday’s more intriguing NBA matchups.
The game starts at 1 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN. But if you don’t have cable, here’s how to watch a live stream of the game online:
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Watch ESPN on FuboTV
As of today, August 1, ESPN is one of the 107 live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Heat vs Nuggets live on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch the game on-demand within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
Watch ESPN on Vidgo
ESPN is one of 68 total channels included with Vidgo, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can then watch the Heat vs Nuggets live on your computer via the Vidgo website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV or other compatible streaming device via the Vidgo app.
Watch ESPN on Hulu With Live TV
ESPN is included in Hulu With Live TV, which comes with 60-plus live TV channels and Hulu’s extensive on-demand library of TV shows and movies. You can watch immediately with a seven-day free trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Heat vs Nuggets live on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV comes with both its extensive on-demand library and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Watch ESPN on Sling TV
ESPN is one of 31 channels included in the Sling Orange package. For the first month, it costs $20 ($30 per month after that) and includes Showtime, Starz and Epix for free:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Heat vs Nuggets live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
Heat vs Nuggets Preview
The Heat are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and head coach Erik Spoelstra thinks his team will pick up right where they left off before the break.
“I think the connection and the ball movement is still evident with this group,” Spoelstra said. “This group really enjoys sharing the game, sharing the ball with each other and trying to help each other play well. That’s a really special quality about this ball club.”
Miami and Denver have been two of the better passing teams in the league this year, with the Nuggets ranked fourth in the NBA in assists (26.5 per game) and the Heat just behind with 26.0 per contest. The team’s leading scorer, forward Jimmy Butler, thinks Miami’s share and share alike mentality may be the key to its success.
“I think we’ve been doing a great job of sharing the ball all year long, before this whole hiatus thing,” Butler said. “We talked about it in practice, we work on it in practice. I just think we all want each other to be successful. Pass it to the open guy, everybody’s going to touch the ball, everybody will get an opportunity to shoot and we’ll have an opportunity to win.”
Miami is averaging 112.2 points a game, with Butler leading the way (20.2 ppg). Forward Bam Adebayo has also been a strong presence for the Heat, averaging a double-double (16.2 points and 10.5 boards).
The Nuggets were averaging 110.4 points a game prior to the four-month hiatus, but the team has seen several members of its roster miss time due to testing positive for COVID-19, including leading scorer and rebounder Nikola Jokic. The All-Star center tested positive in June, and the team has seen a rash of injuries and positive tests since.
It was so bad, Denver coach Michael Malone didn’t have enough players to run 5-on-5 drills until just a few days ago.
“It’s really hard to judge and analyze where we’re at when you don’t have four of your five starters playing,” Malone said this week. “We’ve been very limited with the amount of bodies we’ve had.” Thus, Denver’s lineup is a bit of a mystery at this point, at least for the first few games back.
“I’m just worried about getting a healthy team,” Malone added. “We’ve had eight players for our last two scrimmages. So obviously you want to develop some continuity, some chemistry, a rotation, but my number one objective right now is to get healthy, to get guys back in the lineup, and to get them out there playing.”
The Nuggets won their only meeting against the Heat this year, a 109-89 home victory in November. They will be tested in a big way here.