Miami Heat overcome Nikola Jokic’s 41 points to take Game 2 with a 111-108 win against the Nuggets

The Miami Heat made sure the NBA Championship Finals would be a series to watch as they declined to roll over to the Denver Nuggets Sunday.

Following the Nuggets’ dominance in Game 1, many expected the series to be a sweep for Denver, but the Heat bounced back to take a 111–108 win.

But it was not an easy task. The visitors had to dig deep to overcome a monster attempt by Nikola Jokic.

The Joker wasn’t kidding in Ball Arena, as he racked up a whopping 41 points. But even that wasn’t enough.

Miami had a big early lead, then came back as much as 15 behind before reclaiming the lead in the fourth.

The Heat didn’t let Denver loose again, however, and it outscored its rivals 36-25 in the final period, erasing an eight-point deficit in the final frame.

Even then, Jimmy Butler and Co. dig deep.

Gabe Vincent scored 23 points, Butler and Bam Adebayo had 21 each, while Max Strus and Duncan Robinson had 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Jokic was 16 of 28 from the floor, the last of which shot a 4-footer with 36 seconds left to get the Nuggets within three.

Denver chose not to foul on Miami’s ensuing possession. Butler missed a three and with a chance to tie Jamal Murray missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Murray had 18 points and 10 assists for Denver, while Aaron Gordon had 12 points and Bruce Brown had 11.

Game 3 is Wednesday in Miami. Denver had been 11-0 with a two-digit lead in the playoffs.

Strus, who was 0 for 10 in Game 1, had four 3-pointers in the first quarter of Game 2. Butler jumped with 4:56 left in the first quarter to put Miami up 21-10, taking the lead second-biggest equalizer. lead that every opponent in Denver had built up to this point in these playoffs.

In a flash it was gone – and then some.

The Nuggets defeated Miami 32-11 in the next 9 minutes, turning the double-digit deficit into a double-digit lead thanks to an absolute three-point barrage.

In a 70-second span early in the second quarter, Denver got four 3s—more points than Miami in that entire 9-minute span—and they came from four different players: Bruce Brown, then Jeff Green, then Murray, then Gordon .

Boom, boom, boom and boom. Murray had five consecutive points to end the flurry, and Denver led 44-32 when it was over. The Heat managed to close the gap to 57-51 by the half, but the good feeling Miami had after the first few minutes was long gone.

From there the fight continued. Miami didn’t let Denver escape – then found a way in the fourth.

More to follow.