Jokic closed 16 of 28 from the field and 7 of 8 from the line, with 11 rebounds. This was Jokic showing he also can score at will. This was not Jokic going for triple-doubles, without an assist in the period. His playoff sizzle continued with an 18-point third quarter that came on 8-of-9 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 shooting from the line. Jokic a load: Had the playoffs been included in the voting process, it is likely Jokic would be your 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player. “With how well they were guarding in that fourth quarter and how hard it was for us to generate great looks,” the Nuggets’ coach said, “I felt in that transition we were going to have the best chance to get the look that we wanted.”Ģ. Malone said he preferred to play without calling a timeout before Murray’s shot. The Heat then moved to their 107-95 lead with 3:39 to play on a Caleb Martin 3-pointer, with Denver trimming the deficit to 109-106 with 1:29 left on a basket by former University of Miami wing Bruce Brown.įrom there, a 3-pointer by Murray got Denver within 109-106 with 69 seconds to play.Īfter scores on both ends, the Nuggets gained possession with 14.6 seconds left, the game ending on Murray’s miss. “They came out in that fourth quarter with a huge sense of desperation, and we didn’t match that,” the Nuggets’ Malone said. The Heat tied it 66-66 midway through the third quarter, but the Nuggets closed out the period on a 6-0 run to take an 83-75 lead into the fourth.Ī 3-pointer by Vincent with 10:10 to play then gave the Heat their first lead of the second half, at 86-85, as part of a 15-2 Heat run to open the fourth. The Nuggets then went up 15 in the second period before the Heat closed within 57-51 at halftime. Closing time: The Heat went up 11 early and led 26-23 at the end of the opening period. “We keep finding ways to win,” Adebayo said.ġ. “It was a good look,” Murray said, “just didn’t go down.” The game ended on an off-the-mark potential game-tying 3-pointer from Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, after the Heat had built a 12-point lead with 3:39 to play. “So when it comes down to the wire, we are strangely comfortable.” “We have a lot of experience in these close games,” Vincent said. Gabe Vincent led the Heat with 23 points, with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo adding 21 apiece. Seizing control in the fourth quarter, the Heat were able to overcome a 41-point performance by Denver center Nikola Jokic with a cross-section of contributions. “I asked the team, I asked them, you guys tell me why they lost, and they knew the answer,” Malone said.
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