DENVER, CO — In what seemed like a must-win situation for Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat, stalwart defense down the stretch supplanted a Denver Nuggets team riding a 7-game playoff win streak in Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals. On the road and already down 1-0, Miami battled back to steal a game in Denver from Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Sunday night. The Heat found a way to get the job done and claimed a 111-108 victory.
Miami trailed by six points headed into halftime in what was a decent half from the 8-seed. The Denver Nuggets seemed as unrelenting as usual, however, and the Heat still fell behind. “Our guys are competitors,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They love these kind of moments.”
The Heat weathered a monstrous 41-point performance from Jokic in the win. Down by as many as 15 points and trailing by eight heading into the fourth quarter, Miami found their second wind in the final 12 minutes. They outscored the Nuggets 17-5 to start the fourth quarter before Denver finally battled back. Last-minute heroics from Jamal Murray put Denver within three, but just missed a 3-point shot contested by Jimmy Butler at the buzzer.
Role players and good defense in the second half proved to be the difference in Game 2. Gabe Vincent led the Heat with 23 points, while Max Strus added 14, and Duncan Robinson finished with 10 points (all in the fourth quarter). Denver lost at home for the first time since March 30 and for the first time in 10 home playoff games this year. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone had words for his team after the loss.
“Let’s talk about effort," Malone said. “I mean, this is the NBA Finals, and we’re talking about effort. That’s a huge concern of mine. You guys probably thought I was just making up some storyline after Game 1 when I said we didn't play well. We didn't play well. ... This is not the preseason. This is not the regular season. This is the NBA Finals.”
Heat vs Nuggets NBA Finals
(Credit: twitter.com/@MiamiHEAT)
Murray finished with 18 points and ten assists for Denver, while Aaron Gordon had 12 points and Bruce Brown scored 11.
The NBA Finals head to Miami for Game 3 on Wednesday, June 7. Tip-off time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game can be watched on ABC.
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