The Heat disemboweled the Spurs, taking control in the second quarter and delivering the fatal blows in the third. The Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware frontcourt pairing blew up actions. And five Heatles downed multiple 3-pointers.

 

In the first quarter, Jimmy Butker had six early points on freebies, a cutting dunk and a drive-by into the lane. But the rest of the team mostly struggled to score in the paint because of Victor Wembanyama’s reach which made them hesitant, and they failed all five 3-point tries. 

 

On the other side, the Spurs opened by making six of their first eight shots. Wembanyama scored on a rim roll, made two triples plus drove past Tyler Herro for a dunk. His teammates added three of five 3-pointers, and the Spurs raced out to a 30-20 lead after one period.

 

The Heat were stuck at down 10 after back-to-back buckets from Keldon Johnson. But they countered with a 6-3 run before Spurs coach Mitch Johnson called a quick stoppage. Then Wemby came in, but he didn’t save the visitors as he kept bricking jumpers against the solid defense of Adebayo and Ware. A 14-3 run was supplied by four treys from Duncan Robinson, Terry Rozier and Ware, and Ware’s putback.

 

Defensively, the Heat held the Spurs to 11 second-quarter points by mixing in zone with man-to-man coverage and contesting on time. They even held the Spurs without a basket on the last nine attempts.

 

At halftime, the Heat was ahead 46-41. They had 30 paint points, 10 on the break, four via second chances, four off turnovers and 20 from the bench.

 

The Spurs had 16 paint points, seven on the break, five via second chances, six off turnovers and 14 from the bench. 

 

Then Ware started the third quarter in place of Haywood Highsmith to combat San Antonio’s size. His length bothered Wemby’s outside shooting and dribbling. Offensively, the crew started with Tyler Herro making freebies, a 14-foot pull-up jumper and a 3-pointer; and Robsinon had a trey, forcing the Spurs to call the first adjustment of the quarter. But it didn’t help them, as the Heat extended the lead on quick triples, cuts and screen rolls .

 

The fourth quarter started with the Heat up 92-68. Ware continued his career night with a close-range hook over Wemby and punched in three extra dunks. And Terry Rozier and Jaime Jaquez Jr. boosted the club with 16 points on 75% shooting.

 

Even with the Spurs racking up 39 points in the fourth, the Heat were never in danger of letting the game slip away. 

 

The Heat won 128-107. They had 60 paint points, 18 on the break, eight via second chances, 16 off turnovers and 71 from the bench.

 

The Spurs had 42 paint points, 21 on the break, 11 via second chances, 13 off turnovers and 32 from the bench.

 

After the game, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “We can be dynamic defensively, and we just feed off that energy.”

 

Takeaways: 

 

• Ware had 25 points on 10 of 19 attempts, with eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He was great on rim rolls and moving without the ball. His length on defense was a problem for the opponent. 

 

• Adebayo and Ware had only logged two minutes together on the court this season before the game. Yet, the pairing looked sharp, and this is a combination that must continue.

 

• The Heat’s third-quarter avalanche was one of its best of the season, scoring 46 points on 70.8% shooting, including eight out of 10 triples. 

 

• Robinson‘s cut into the lane for the catch and dunk over Wemby was the play of the game. This was also his sixth outing of the year with at least five treys.

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The Nuggets vanquished the Heat in Jimmy Butler’s return from a seven-game suspension. Jamal Murray lit up everything in front of him. And Nikola Jokić had his 17th triple-double of the season.

 

“I thought our guards did a hell of a job on [Tyler] Herro and [Duncan] Robinson, especially,” coach Michael Malone said after the game.

 

From the start, the visitors had the Heat on their heels. Murray had seven of the team’s first 12 points. Jokić finished four baskets from five feet and closer and had five assists. And Russell Westbrook made a shot in each corner, plus broke down Nikola Jović for a layup on the right side. Defensively, they were slow to get to the perimeter, but the Heat folded, making just two of eight from deep.

 

The second quarter started with the Nuggets up 30-24. Then Murray took over, hitting five of six baskets from short, mid and long range. And Aaron Gordon added 10 points via freebies, jumpers and a catch-and-go in the dunker spot. 

 

On the other side, the Heat’s 3-point shooting kept faltering at a 20% clip. But Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Nikola Jović and Jaime Jaquez Jr. made multiple field goals. 

 

At halftime, the Nuggets were up 67-55. They were up in three key areas: paint points 36-34, fastbreak points 10-7, and second-chance points 3-0.

 

Subsequently, Denver got sloppy on defense as Butler got loose on two rim attacks and two jumpers. They also permitted Adebayo, Jović and Robinson to make multiple shots. Yet, their saving grace was that Jokić nailed five freebies, a trey and two baskets in the restricted area. Additionally, Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr. connected on three 3-pointers.

 

The fourth quarter began with the Nuggets on top 98-86. Jokić and Westbrook rested all of the period as the squad kept exposing the Heat from deep.

 

The Nuggets won 133-113. They had 58 paint points, 17 on the break, seven via second chances, 10 off turnovers and 42 from the bench.

 

The Heat had 62 paint points, 17 on the break, eight via second chances, four off turnovers and 47 from the bench.

 

Jokić handled the on-court interview. He said, “The defense was where it’s supposed to be.” When asked about his elbow, he said it was a little bit sore but better than Thursday. Jokić missed Wednesday’s game against Houston because he hurt his right elbow while warming up.

 

Takeaways:

 

• The Nuggets’ attack was in the half-court for 79.2% of the time. They scored 128.6 points per 100 plays, good enough for the 99th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.

 

• The Nuggets had 35 assists to six turnovers. This was the Nuggets’ second-best game taking care of the ball this season. 

 

• Malone said Christain Braun was awarded the defensive player of the game badge.

 

• Jokić played 31 minutes. He’s played less time in only five games this season. He finished with 24 points, on nine of 12 attempts, with 12 rebounds, 10 assists, one steal and two turnovers.

 

• Jokić’s over-the-head, no-look pass to Gordon cutting behind him on the break for a dunk was the play of the game.

 

• Julian Strawther was effective in the fourth quarter, seizing the baseline for a layup and making three triples.

 

• The Nuggets never trailed after the first few minutes. 

 

 

The undermanned Nuggets got pushed around at home by the Rockets. The latter took 19 extra shots as a result of forcing 18 turnovers plus recovering four more rebounds. And Jalen Green’s jumper was like a cannon with bottomless rounds. The Nuggets were without Nikola Jokić and Aaron Gordon.

 

“When you’re without your starting power forward and center against a team that sits no. 2 in the Western Conference, you got to play damn near perfect, and we were definitely far from that tonight,” coach Michael Malone said after the game.

 

The Nuggets shot well early. Jamal Murray made a pull-up triple and scored on a screen roll at the cup plus racked up four dimes. But their work was offset by committing seven turnovers thanks to Houston’s pressure. On defense, the team was slow to reach outside shooters.

 

The second quarter started with Denver down five points. Then the visitors seized control, intercepting the ball and stripping it. On the other side, the Rockets rattled off 41 points on 60% shooting.  Green caused most of the devastation, scoring on screen rolls, getting to the line, and blowing by Michael Porter Jr. for a shot in the lane. 

 

At halftime, the Nuggets were down 69-48. They had 12 turnovers to eight assists. Their mistakes were like a boxer continuously walking into an opponent’s traps. They were also being outscored in four key areas: paint points 24-22, fastbreak points 8-3, second chance points 9-8 and points off turnovers 17-5.

 

Subsequently, Russell Westbrook, Christian Braun, Porter and Murray started the third quarter making six of nine shots. Yet that only cut the deficit to 17, and Houston scored 13 points off five Denver turnovers. 

 

For the Rockets, Green buried three more jumpers and viciously dunked over Dario Šarić. And Alperen Şengün added 10 points on five of eight attempts. 

 

The fourth quarter started with the Nuggets down 102-81. Braun was the only starter to play, logging four-and-a-half minutes. Malone conceded when he dumped the bottom four of the bench- Hunter Tyson, Zeke Nnaji, Trey Alexander and Jalen Pickett- into the game.

 

The Nuggets lost 128-108. They were outscored in the four key areas: in the paint by 10, on the break by 18, on second chances by two, and by 26 off turnovers.

 

“When we turned it over, we didn’t hustle back, we didn’t make extra effort plays to try to limit their points off turnovers… but that second quarter was definitely where the game got away,” Malone said. 

 

Takeaways:

• Porter struggled to be a factor on both sides.

 

• Malone said he hadn’t gotten an update on Jokić’s right elbow inflammation. Jokić was warming up with a shooting sleeve before the game. 

 

• Braun’s strong night scoring- 22 points on 10 of 11 shots- didn’t make much of a dent because of all the turnovers and poor transition defense.  

 

• The Nuggets’ attack spent 84.6% of its time in the half-court, good enough for the 10th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. 

 

• The Nuggets never led. 

 

 

Jamal Murray had his top game of the season, mowing down the Wild Horses from all spots. He had 45 points on 69% shooting, creating so much separation on the scoreboard Dallas had no chance of coming back. The Nuggets were only behind for 45 seconds, and their lead grew to 31 at one point.

 

Murray was hindered by knee soreness in Sunday’s game against Dallas. Coach Michael Malone wanted to sit him at halftime that night but didn’t. Malone also said Sunday the knee would always be an issue and that the team can’t reach its highest level without him in top form. 

 

The Mavericks, minus Luka Dončić, were in trouble early, as Murray opened up on a flurry of 19 first-quarter points. He made shots from mid and long-range on the catch and dribble, plus maneuvered into the lane for two baskets.

 

The second quarter started with Denver up 36-21. Murray was still scorching when he checked into the frame after five minutes, scoring five of six extra shots, pushing the visitors’ lead to 71-45 at halftime. By that point, Murray racked up 32 digits, a new career high before intermission. 

 

Then, the Nuggets’ offense slowed to 34.8% shooting. It didn’t hurt them because the Mavericks were slow on the draw, making only one of nine treys for the third quarter. 

 

Naji Marshall was the lone Maverick who stayed in the game after. Murray resumed blasting coverages in the fourth quarter, which started with the Nuggets ahead by 24. 

 

The visitors won 118-99. They had 42 paint points, 18 on the break, 12 via second chances, 19 off turnovers and 35 from the bench. On top of that, Nikola Jokić had his 16th triple-double of the season- 10 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 helpings. It only took him three quarters.

 

Play of the night: Murray isolated Maxi Kleber on the left side and spun past him, finishing with the off-hand.

 

After the game, Murray said, “When I’m on, there’s nothing to worry about… I’ve struggled. The season is about highs and lows and about weathering storms. Just take this as a positive note and keep moving.”

 

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said at the postgame presser that Murray “saw what we were trying to do to him in the last game, and he took full advantage of that tonight.”

 

Seeing Murray’s top form was one of the best moments of the Nuggets’ season. The team doesn’t need  40 + points every game, but it does require him to get consistently get separation and down his jumper. When he’s doing it like he did against the Mavericks, the Nuggets become dangerous a team.  They have now won eight of their last 10.

 

With Aaron Gordon back in action for the Nuggets, he will eventually reclaim his starting role. The player who should move down to sixth man is Christian Braun, not Russell Westbrook. 

 

The Nuggets’ record is 13-4 in games Westbrook starts, and he’s having his best season since 2020-21 when he was a Wizard.  Even in year 17, his athleticism is comparable to Gordon’s as the best on the team. His burst is a perfect combination for Nikola Jokić to run two-man actions with. Consider this: Westbrook has more assists (88) to Jokić than Jamal Murray (67) this season, per NBA Stats. While he has played in six more games than Murray, it’s undeniable how valuable an extra high-level ball handler is next to Jokić. 

 

On the flip side, Jokić has delivered the most helpings (45) to Westbrook and next on the list is Murray (12) and Julian Strawther (9). 

 

Using more of Westbrook is good for Murray, too. The latter has not been himself this season as he deals with nagging injuries, yet remains dangerous on the catch, logging a 58.4EFG%. If the rock is in Russ’ hands, it’s easier for the defense to lose Murray because it is hard to see the ball and man when there is a lot of movement. Until his health turns a corner in 2024-25, being more of an off-ball player is what he needs.

 

Also, Westbrook is logging an effective field goal percentage of 62.6 on shots less than 10 feet. His frequency from that spot is 53.4%, and a good chunk of these buckets come in transition, too.

 

Giveaways will always be a concern and this season he is logging his worst turnover percentage (19.0) of his career, per Basketball Reference. Furthermore, his 3-point and free throw percentage are not good (starter numbers- 29.5, 60.3), Yet, his assist-to-turnover ratio is decent at 2.4, and the threat of breaking down defenders inside the arc and getting past them on cuts, far outweigh the cons.

 

His defense has been sharp this season as well. Opposing guards are shooting 43.8% when defended by Westbrook, per the NBA’s tracking data. And he is still a nice pound-for-pound rebounder, as he is recording 6.9 as a starter.

 

He impacts a game in too many ways and deserves to keep his spot.

 

More on Braun:

 

CB moves well without the ball and has made an impressive leap this season. He is one of the team’s best defenders, too. But his shooting off the catch has drastically cooled off to a 51.9 EFG% from 70.2 on Nov. 28. Additionally, his handle and playmaking are not as strong as Westbrook’s.