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The Miami Heat entered Denver in the midst of a three-game losing streak, with the latest loss another double-digit lead gone bad against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

With no DeAndre Jordan (pneumonia) or Blake Griffin, the Heat were terrorized by the Chris Paul/Cole Aldrich high pick-and-roll, and were picked clean by the feisty Pablo Prigioni 1,637 times — at least it felt that way.

Miami’s leaders, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, were visibly frustrated by the mental and defensive lapses that occurred. Adding to the collective frustration of the team (and fan base) was the absense of Goran Dragic due to a calf strain, and the guard is expected to be out at least another week.

So, you could imagine the general feeling when it was announced before Friday’s game that Wade couldn’t play because of two bad shoulders.

Once Denver jumped out to a 31-20 lead after the first quarter, I was ready to call it:

So, we're 1/4 of the way to the Heat's 4th straight loss.

— Optimistic Pessimist (@NekiasNBA) January 16, 2016

The Nuggets took a 62-46 lead into the half and seemed destined to blow it open, considering the Heat’s history of poor third quarters.

But then, Hassan Whiteside happened.

Whiteside was one of the few players who didn’t play horribly in the first half, racking up nine points, five rebounds and four blocks in the opening half. In the third quarter, specifically the latter half of it, he was EVERYWHERE.

It was one of the rare times this season that his presence was not only felt on both ends of the floor — his impact actually matched the guady numbers he put up.

Sure, his eight points, four rebounds and three blocks in the final 4:20 of the third quarter (nine points, six rebounds and five blocks overall for the quarter) were ridiculous. What was exciting was how he got those numbers.

Offensively, he (actually) set solid screens, attacked the offensive glass, drew fouls, threw down a couple of dunks and even sprinkled in a couple of jumpers — an in-rhythm free throw line jumper, and a bank shot over Kenneth Faried.

Much to the delight of myself and other Heat fans, Whiteside also passed out of a double-team, and passed the ball directly after grabbing an offensive rebound late in the quarter.

Both instances wouldn’t normally be worth noting for most big men, but for Whiteside, these were developments to be proud of.

(Of course, that’s pretty sad if you really think about it, but this is a positive piece.)

Defensively, Whiteside blocked a bunch of shots like he normally does, but he also roamed the paint and dissuaded drivers as well. His pick-and-roll coverage was much better than normal, and that allowed Miami’s perimeter defenders to be more aggressive.

On a night where the Heat were missing their starting backcourt and ultimately looked dead in the water in the early goings of the game, Whiteside sparked — and even led — Miami’s third-quarter run, which led to Miami outscoring Denver 30-14 in the quarter.

Whiteside finished the game with 19 points, 17 rebounds, 11 blocks and tied his career-high with two assists (I know, I know) in a career-high 38 minutes. Beyond that ridiculous stat line, he left his imprint on both sides of the ball, something that hasn’t been true for most of the year despite his solid numbers:

This is what makes him such an intriguing player.

Whiteside’s talent is undeniable, as are his physical gifts. The questions marks about his game mostly revolve around his basketball IQ and some of the little things that don’t necessarily show up on the box score (but is probably tracked by Vantage or Nylon Calculus because they’re AWESOME).

He chases blocks rather than staying home and contesting shots. His pick-and-roll coverage has been better than last year, but still a pretty big issue. His poor screening has been a problem, as well as his passing vision and his tendency to force up shots in the post or after offensive rebounds.

Whiteside is young in terms of NBA experience, but is likely in the athletic prime of his career at age 26. Most of the things he struggles with are correctable, but it’s fair to question if Whiteside is who he is at this point.

As shown in the Portland game and this recent Denver game, Whiteside can absolutely be a force when his mental matches his physical — and of course, that’s what makes the whole situatuon (and his impending free agency) so frustrating.

There are very real flaws with Whiteside, but beyond those — and even with those — is a beast that can be unleashed. A shot-swatting, lob-catching, board-grabbing, quote machine of a beast.

We just have to take the good with the bad right now until we can get a better read on this guy, so let’s just embrace the good we just witnessed.