Role players help buoy Nuggets to clutch win
MIAMI >> If Denver residents are jealous of their NBA team for a perfectly timed trip to South Florida, worry not: The Nuggets and Heat were just as cold in Miami as everyone is about to be in snowy Colorado.
In another NBA Finals rematch defined by stout defense, only the unlikeliest source could provide the decisive heat check moment: backup point guard Reggie Jackson, whose seven consecutive points in a 75-second span handed Denver a 94-84 lead in what turned out to be a 100-88 win Wednesday night at Kaseya Center.
With their 10th win in 11 games since the All-star break, the Nuggets (46-20) moved past Oklahoma City and into first place alone in the Western Conference with 16 regular-season games to go.
Michael Porter Jr. led the way with 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting — he’s averaging more than 20 per game since the break — but bench role players saved Denver this time when it mattered most. Nikola Jokic was able to stay on the bench until the 6:29 mark of the fourth quarter thanks to an impressive stint from the second unit, which featured Aaron Gordon at the five and Justin Holiday helping Jamal Murray in the backcourt rather than Jackson.
Christian Braun scored seven points during that stretch, including a corner 3-pointer and a contested floater that he celebrated with the “too small” gesture. A powerful Peyton Watson dunk forced an Eric Spoelstra timeout as Jokic and company prepared to check back in. Then Braun passed the baton to Jackson, whose rotations recently have corresponded more with Jokic’s to avoid lineups with both Jackson and Murray.
After Jackson buried three consecutive jumpers, the Nuggets never relinquished a doubledigit lead in the last three minutes. They had trailed 71-67 late in the third quarter.
Denver used an early 15-0 run to build a 13-point lead that it narrowly held onto the remainder of the first half, even after Miami answered with its own 12-2 punch. The Finals rematch then settled into another rock fight, like the one two weeks ago when the Nuggets prevailed 103-97.
Jumpers weren’t falling, in spite of a good pregame omen. A Nuggets player development coach exclaimed that “it’s gonna be a good night” after Kentavious Caldwell-pope drilled a catchand-shoot corner 3-pointer to finish his warm-up routine. Not quite. The three-and-d guard had to rely more on his defense, producing two easy dunks for himself off steals while shooting 1 of 5 from three.
Jamal Murray’s 14 points required 14 shots. Jokic scored only
12 points (to go with 14 rebounds). Denver was 33% from three. Miami was 24%.
Scoring came easy for nobody except Porter, and even he cooled off a bit after a perfect first half beyond the arc. Jimmy Butler was contained to 15 points on 16 attempts. Bam Adebayo had nine points in the third quarter as the Heat rallied for a lead, but he got only eight points the rest of the way.