Big win over Miami marred by Jokic ejection after late fracas
NUGGETS 113, HEAT 96
A physical game, highlighted by the Nuggets’ version of the Steel Curtain defense, turned ugly Monday night at Ball Arena.
Denver center Nikola Jokic, last season’s MVP, leveled the Miami Heat’s Markleff Morris with a shot from behind with 2 minutes, 39 seconds left. Morris, who remained on the floor for several minutes, was charged with a flagrant foul for his elbow on Jokic moments before.
Clearly looking for retaliation, Jokic was ejected and could be looking at a multiple-game suspension.
Morris left the game visibly shaken up.
The moment marred a 113-96 Denver victory — its most impressive of the young season.
Denver coach Michael Malone declined to comment on the altercation and said he had not seen a replay of the incident. Nor would he speculate about Jokic getting suspended.
“It was somewhat of an ugly end to a great game for us,” Malone said.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra did not mince words after the game
“That was a very dangerous, dirty play. Just absolutely uncalled for,” he said.
The Nuggets’ defense put a big hurt on the Heat, especially in the first three quarters and they led comfortably for most of the game.
The evening began with Malone informing the media that the team would be without valuable forward Michael Porter Jr. “for the foreseeable future.” Malone, as coaches are wont to do, talked about how the Nuggets would have to carry each other in Porter’s absence.
They did exactly that. While Denver (6-4, 4-1 at home) is known for its offense, it entered the game ranked first in the NBA in defense, allowing 96.8 points per game and holding opponents to 42.7% shooting.
Before his ejection, Jokic played an exceptional game and notched his first triple-double of the season: 25 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
Denver built a 64-49 lead at the half, outplaying Miami in every aspect. The Nuggets outshot the Heat 51.1% to 37.2% and outrebounded the Heat 27-19.
Among the highlight reel moments for Denver was Jokic’s perfect lead pass to Aaron Gordon for a slam that put Denver ahead, 55-38.
The Nuggets, putting bodies on the physical Heat team, came out strong and led 30-25 in the first quarter. Denver shot 45.8% from the field vs. just 36.4% for Miami. Denver took a 23-14 lead with 5:11 to go in the first quarter when Jamychal Green muscled for an offensive rebound and cashed in with a putback.
Malone, who loved Denver’s “collective defense,” called the game “a blueprint to build on.”
Monte Morris drained two 3pointers and was 6-for-6 from the field for 10 points in the quarter.
Miami forward Jimmy Butler, who finished with a game-high 31 points, kept his team in the game, scoring 10 first-quarter points on 3-for-4 shooting while converting all four foul shots.
Porter’s prognosis. Days after leaving a game with “lower back soreness,” Porter’s chances of getting back on the court soon do not look good.
“This is a process where we’re being very cautious, talking to doctors, getting imaging all that kind of stuff,” Malone said before Monday’s game. “For now, I would say that Michael is out for the foreseeable future.”
The phrase certainly carried an ominous tone.
Malone, however, didn’t define exactly what “foreseeable future” means.
“And again, Michael could be back in a week, it could be more than that,” Malone said. “So when I say, ‘foreseeable future,’ I’m not really sure what that means, I just know that he’s not playing tonight.”
Considering Porter’s history of back issues that have required two surgeries, his latest injury raises a red flag.
During the Nuggets’ victory over the Rockets, Porter came up limping after missing a breakaway layup.
He did not get any lift as he tried to go for the rim. He remained in the game for a few minutes before leaving.
At that time, the team called Porter’s injury “lower-back soreness.”
Porter underwent testing on Sunday afternoon, two sources told The Post.
The 6-foot-10 forward, who signed a five-year, $173 million extension this past offseason, was off to a shaky start, averaging just 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 35.9% from the field (20.8% from 3point range) in Denver’s first nine games.