By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Miami Heat just pulled off a momentum-boosting win on the road to stun the Denver Nuggets in Game 2, 111-108, and evened up the series at 1-1 in the ongoing NBA Finals last June 5, 2023.
What looked to be another breakaway win for the Nuggets quickly vanished after the Heat kept on punching the whole 48 minutes and gathered themselves in the most perfect time when they completed their comeback effort in the fourth and final quarter.
Down by eight entering the final frame, Duncan Robinson melted the Nuggets with his microwave performance after single-handedly bringing Miami back to the game with his offensive prowess.
The knockdown shooter waxed hot from the field and put up 10 points on board in just a span of two minutes in the fourth.
Robinson drilled two three-pointers and converted two cutting layups to help the Heat get back within striking distance, 85-83, with 10:15 still remaining.
What Robinson did in the first two minutes also hurt the Nuggets, causing an instant collapse in their defensive schemes which led to a wide-open Gabe Vincent from the left corner to help Miami retake the lead after a trey, 86-85.
The Nuggets were concerned with Robinson’s scoring threat after that explosion in the first two minutes and whenever he was cutting hard to the basket, the fourth man in the perimeter had no choice but to double which gave several wide-open looks from the Miami shooters.
After Robinson’s personal run, Miami finally clicked in all facets, punishing Denver with their stinging zone defense while burying important baskets to maintain their lead until the final clutch minutes of the game.
Denver showed some signs of life after trimming Miami’s nine-point lead to just three, courtesy of a Jamal Murray trifecta with only a minute remaining.
The Heat answered back with two important made free throws from Bam Adebayo to balloon their lead back to five but Jokic responded with a basket in the paint to revert the nip-and-tuck affair into a one-possession ball game.
Denver had the chance to send the game into overtime when they still had 12 seconds left to operate for the final shot but Murray’s step-back three-pointer went off the mark.
It was a welcoming sight for the Heat after Max Struss, who failed to cash in a single three-pointer during their Game 1 loss, was automatic from deep and set the tone for Miami with his barrage of treys.
Miami also did a better job going to the foul line, from only getting two attempts from the charity stripe, the Heat went aggressive from the get-go to finish with 18 made shots.
The Heat spoiled Jokic’s 41-point performance alongside 11 rebounds but only made four assists, a department of his game that caused a domino effect on Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s games.
The trio only combined for 23 points with Gordon leading the way with 12, Pope with six, and Porter Jr. with only five points. If Jokic dimes the ball more like he did in Game 1, the trio averaged a combined 40 points.
Miami had another solid game from Adebayo who capped off Game 2 with 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks while Jimmy Butler responded with 21 markers and nine assists.
Robinson, the main man in the fourth, added 10 points built from 4/5 shooting from the field while Vincent chipped in 23 points.
