The Denver Nuggets continued their hot start to the 2025-26 campaign with a convincing 122-112 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, moving to 5-2 on the season and 4-0 at home after winning their fifth game in six outings overall. 

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with a monstrous 35-point triple-double. The three-time MVP scored 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting (2-of-5 from 3-point range), also grabbing 15 rebounds and dishing out 16 assists. Aaron Gordon added 24 points for the Nuggets in the win, making 9-of-16 attempts from the field while grabbing six rebounds and a steal on the defensive end.

The Nuggets also got some significant help from offseason acquisition Tim Hardaway Jr. off the bench. Hardaway Jr. scored 18 points, making 7-of-12 attempts from the field overall and 4-of-9 from 3-point range. Aside from Hardaway Jr., however, the Nuggets got a total of just 13 points from the rest of their bench. 

After Wednesday’s win, Hardaway Jr. broke down why it was so important for the Nuggets' entire supporting cast to step up around Jokic and Gordon, especially when they perform to the level they did against the Heat.

“In order for (Jokic and Gordon) to have space and room to operate, us guys got to do our job and knock down our shots when open or when available,” Hardaway Jr. said. “Keep the defense honest so they go out there and do what they do best.”

Hardaway Jr. also had positive reviews for his experience in the Nuggets’ offense to start the season, although that’s to be expected when you’re getting the early scoring opportunities that he has this season. Still, the veteran in his 14th NBA season pointed out a few crucial areas where the team needs to improve if they want to remain firm as serious championship threats.

“It’s fun (to play in this offense),” Hardaway Jr. said. “Any offense is fun when things are going your way early on, but at the same time we’ve still got to be better at taking care of the basketball. Got to be better at boxing out and getting defense rebounds and just be all around better. There's always keys to the game that we can improve on, but thankfully we got the win.”

The Nuggets will look to keep their perfect home record intact and push their overall record to 6-2 against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, as that game is set to tip off at 8 p.m. MST/7 p.m. PST on Prime Video.