Entering the 4th quarter, the Miami Heat were staring at a 2-0 series deficit as the visitors of a hostile environment at Ball Arena, where the Denver Nuggets were a perfect 9-0 at home in the postseason.
They handed them the first home postseason loss this game.
Down by as many as 15 points, down by eight heading into the 4th, all odds were against them. Denver was a perfect 11-0 when leading by double digits at any point in a game, and 37-1 overall when leading by at least eight heading into the fourth.
A 17-5 run in the first 3:17 of the 4th quarter paved the way for the Heat putting the "1" in that first stat.
It wasn't easy, as, after going up by 12, they had to survive a late Nuggets 12-4 push in which they rallied back to make it a three-point game in the final 35 seconds of regulation.
But Jimmy Butler knew that Nikola Jokić was going to set a pick on Gabe Vincent to set up a Jamal Murray three-point shot that would possibly force overtime, so Butler stepped in to contest the three, which Murray missed.
The loss was the Nuggets' first home loss in over two months—they last lost at Ball Arena on March 30th.
It was all Miami to start the game, as they began the match with a 21-10 run, tying the second-biggest lead any opponent built in Denver so far in these playoffs after Butler's jump shot with 4:56 left in the first.
Then Denver came out rolling.
Through the next nine minutes, the Nuggets went on a 32-11 run, turning their double-digit deficit to a double-digit lead behind an avalanche of three-pointers.
Especially early that second quarter, where the Nuggets got four threes in a 70-second span.
Miami, however, had other plans, as they closed the gap to within six points by halftime.
Max Strus had a bounce-back game, where, after missing all 10 of his baskets in Game 1, came out firing in Game 2, with four three-pointers, finishing with 14 points, with the three-pointers all coming in the first quarter.
Butler came through in the clutch, with eight of his 21 points having been scored in the fourth quarter.
And though he missed the three-pointer that would have sealed the game away with 14.1 seconds left when the Nuggets decided not to foul, his defensive presence on Murray was what forced the miss on the other end of the court.
Butler added nine assists on the night, and Bam Adebayo backed up his Game 1 performance with a 21-point outing with nine rebounds.
Gabe Vincent continued his momentum from Game 1 and led all Heat players with 23 points for Game 2, and did so on 8 of 12 shooting, continuing to thrive in the NBA's biggest stage.
Though it was Duncan Robinson who paved the way for the Heat's comeback in the 4th quarter, scoring 10 of the Heat’s first 12 points of the 4th and driving them to a 12-2 run to begin the frame.
And even if he didn't score the rest of the way there, he turned the tide around for Miami, sparking them on a 36-point quarter on 68.8% shooting.
It was those guys who played a key part in overcoming Jokić's 41-point, 11-rebound performance, where he shot 16 of 28 from the field.
The Nuggets are now 0-3 in the postseason when Jokić has at least 40 points. They are 13-1 in games where he has fewer than 40.
His four assists are a stark drop-off from Game 1, when he had 14. They were 3-7 in the regular season when he has fewer than six assists. As a team, Denver had just six passes to players attacking the rim; none of them came from Jokić.
However, the Heat were successful at one thing that limited the Nuggets: Forcing Jokić to be the primary scorer while taking away his other options.
They were also emphasizing being more aggressive, and showing the NBA on what made them so strong.
On Denver's end, however, head coach Mike Malone was none too pleased about the team's 4th quarter performance in Game 1 when they allowed the Heat to shoot 60% and make 6 of 12 shots from deep.
Malone was similarly upset about blown defensive assignments, fouls on the Heat’s shooters, and a lack of discipline in the final quarter.
So, they have to regroup and improve on that 4th quarter defense heading into Game 3.
That game will be on June 7th at 8:30 PM ET/6:30 PM MT, with the series shifting over to Kaseya Center in Miami. Follow my Twitter @DatYinzerAlec for the play-by-play of the Finals on Twitter Spaces.
Injuries
Nuggets: None.
Heat: Tyler Herro played 2-on-2 on Saturday as he continues to work his way back into the Heat lineup coming off a broken hand. He remained out of the lineup this game, but he will get another chance to get back in the rotation for Game 3, though his status is unclear.
Show Some Love
Kevin Love started for the Heat, playing in his first game since Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Boston Celtics. He played 22 minutes and had 10 rebounds while scoring six points, both on three-pointers. He has made the NBA Finals every time his team qualifies for the postseason.
In the History Books
This win by the Heat marked the 13th victory for them in the postseason, breaking a two-way tie with the 1999 New York Knicks for most wins by an 8 seed in the postseason in NBA history.
It is also the 44th time the Heat won a game by five points or less this season.
Scoring by Quarter
1st Quarter: Heat 26, Nuggets 23—Heat lead 26-23
2nd Quarter: Heat 25, Nuggets 34—Nuggets lead 57-51
3rd Quarter: Heat 24, Nuggets 26—Nuggets lead 83-75
4th Quarter: Heat 36, Nuggets 25—Heat win 111-108
Box Score
Miami Heat
Gabe Vincent: 23 points (8/12 FG; 4/6 3PT; 3/3 FT), 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 31:39
Bam Adebayo: 21 points (8/14 FG; 0/0 3PT; 5/5 FT), 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 40:01
Jimmy Butler: 21 points (7/19 FG; 2/5 3PT; 5/5 FT), 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 turnover, 40:21
Max Strus: 14 points (4/10 FG; 4/10 3PT; 2/3 FT), 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 3 fouls, 29:13
Duncan Robinson: 10 points (4/5 FG; 2/3 3PT; 0/1 FT), 1 assist, 2 fouls, 17:22
Kyle Lowry: 9 points (2/4 FG; 2/3 3PT; 3/3 FT), 3 assists, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls, 23:38
Kevin Love: 6 points (2/9 FG; 2/6 3PT; 0/0 FT), 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 22:13
Cody Zeller: 4 points (2/2 FG; 0/0 3PT; 0/0 FT), 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 7:59
Caleb Martin: 3 points (1/3 FG; 1/2 3PT; 0/0 FT), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 21:26
Haywood Highsmith: 0 points (0/0 FG; 0/0 FT), 1 rebound, 2 fouls, 6:08
Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokić: 41 points (16/28 FG; 2/5 3PT; 7/8 FT), 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 turnovers, 3 fouls, 41:53
Jamal Murray: 18 points (7/15 FG; 3/8 3PT; 1/1 FT), 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 38:49
Aaron Gordon: 12 points (5/7 FG; 2/2 3PT; 0/2 FT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 3 fouls, 38:13
Bruce Brown: 11 points (4/9 FG; 1/3 3PT; 2/2 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 27:16
Jeff Green: 9 points (1/1 FG; 1/1 3PT; 6/6 FT), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 15:54
Christian Braun: 6 points (3/3 FG; 0/0 3PT; 0/0 FT), 1 rebound, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 15:25
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 6 points (1/4 FG; 1/3 3PT; 3/3 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 6 fouls, 36:07
Michael Porter Jr.: 5 points (2/8 FG; 1/6 3PT; 0/0 FT), 6 rebounds, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 26:26
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