The Champs came out blasting on offense, but we’re giving it up as easily because of inattentive defense and turnovers putting them on their heels. Then they got punked in the second quarter, getting outscored by 15 points. It was as if they were transported back to the Mesozoic era, and they were the prey of unfed velociraptors. They followed up the second half with a comeback from down 22 points behind Joker and Murray’s takeover.

Keep in mind the visitors were missing Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poetl, Gary Trent Jr., Chris Boucher and Scottie Barnes.

Early, the Raptors couldn’t contain Aaron Gordon at close range. And Michael Porter Jr was dropping arrows from deep, middle and short distance.

In the second quarter, the offense fell apart, registering nine of 27 baskets. On the other side, RJ Barrett swished a left-corner triple, seized the baseline for a dunk and drove through the middle for another. Gradey Dick made three jumpers. Jalen McDaniels added six points. And with three minutes to go in the half, the hosts were down 22.

At intermission, the Nuggets were behind on the scoreboard 51-68. They accumulated 28 paint points, eight on the break, four via second chances, nine after turnovers and nine from the bench. MPJ scored 13 points on six of 11 ventures. AG had a dozen on 83.3% shooting. And the Joker had 12 as well, with seven assists, 10 boards and two steals.

The visitors had 28 interior points, 15 in the open court, 11 on extra tries, eight after turnovers and 19 from the reserves. Barrett racked up 15 on his scorecard on six of nine attempts. Dick followed with 13 on his ledger. Former Nugget Bruce Brown had nine. And Kelly Olynyk and Jontay Porter- MPJ’s brother- logged eight.

But Nikola Jokić cleaved coverages with his jumper, finished on the break, ran two-man actions with Jamal Murray, and boogied up close for four more baskets. He supplied 19 points in the frame and, contributed four helpings to Murray, Porter and Watson, and picked up four steals.

Murray produced nine points on three of five looks, but while he defended, Kelly Olynyk hunted him in the half court for a bucket from two feet away and drew a foul on him at the left elbow to take a trip to the charity line. Moreover, Olynyk recorded two more freebies and four field goals, totaling 14 points in the frame.

J. Porter dispatched six more points, and the rest of the Raptors made five of 15 baskets in the third quarter.

Following a 42-point outburst in quarter three and conceding 30, the fourth began with the Nuggets down 93-98, and Murray carelessly turning it over in the corner because he couldn’t hold on to the catch with one hand. In spite of that, he led the Nuggets in the last sequence, breaking down his cover from the wing to the paint, ripping apart the Raptors’ pick-and-roll defense, and getting loose twice after receiving Joker’s handoff. He also distributed six assists to Watson, Gordon, Jokić, KCP, Porter and Zeke Nnaji, generating 15 points.

With under seven minutes to go, the Nuggets took their first lead since the latter stage of the first quarter, when Murray dribbled past McDaniels, hitting a floater in the lane. On the Nuggets’ next possession, Jokić tipped in KCP’s missed pull-up, boosting the advantage to three points. The hosts made six of 10 baskets the rest of the way to close.

On the Raptors’ last possession, with 26 seconds left and down six points, Barrett raced down the floor, misfiring a layup, when taking a 3-pointer was the operative move. Had he made it, the visitors would have played for the steal before the foul.

Porter recovered the miss and the Raptors were extinct.

The Nuggets won 125-119. They had 66 paint points, 21 on the break, 11 on second opportunities, 19 after turnovers and 23 from the bench. Jokić’s stat line included 35 points on 14 of 26 attempts, with 17 rebounds, 12 assists, six steals and two blocks. Murray scored 26 on 57.9% shooting, plus 12 dimes, five boards and two rejections. AG and MPJ had 19 apiece.

The Raptors had 66 interior points, 19 in the open court, 20 on extra tries, eight after turnovers and 31 from the reserves. Barrett submitted 26 points on 10 of 20 looks. Olynyk filed 24 to his scorecard and six rebounds. And Dick noted 17 points.

Jokić handled on the on-court interview. He said, “The whole crew fought today, and we showed character that we are not quitters.”

At the postgame presser, coach Michael Malone said, “Do I like the fact that we didn’t play at all in the first half? No. But I’m really proud of the guys having the courage to not let go…we stayed with it. There was never any panic, which is what I loved about it as well.”

 

 

 

 

Despite controlling the game early on the second night of a road back-to-back, the Heat’s offense fell apart in the third quarter and its embers were extinguished late by Shai Gilgeous Alexander.

Early, Jimmy Butler attacked the basket, scoring the Heat’s first six points. But Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson were cold- the former missed a jumper badly on the baseline and was denied by Luguentz Dort’s help defense, and the latter missed a pair of well-contested triples.

Halfway through the frame, coach Erik Spoelstra subbed out Nikola Jović and put in rookie Jaimie Jaquez Jr.. JJJ saved the Heat from an embarrassing start, creating contact on drives, making four freebies, hooking over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the post, beating everyone on the break and splashing a left-wing triple.

SGA countered for the hosts, registering 10 first-quarter points, primarily striking the lane against man coverage and the zone. Josh Giddey picked up three dimes. And the rest of the group made seven of 17 baskets, as no other Thunder player made more than one field goal.

After 12 minutes, the Heat led 29-27.

Then newcomer Patty Mills- the 15-year veteran who signed with the club on Wednesday- was unleashed. He registered four of five baskets, hitting three triples when the defense overreacted to inside pressure and nailed a midrange floater on the right side after Dort closed out too hard to the wing on the pass.

Butler scored twice in the second frame- a layup, low on the right side in the first minute and another in the last 42 seconds of the half, totaling five points. Additionally, Jaquez was still burning. He spun past Josh Giddey on the baseline for a layup over Chet Holmgren, successfully rolled right after the handoff from Adebayo and scored from the dunker spot when left alone.

Defensively, the Heat slowed down the Thunder and SGA. Help was sent when he beat Terry Rozier to the paint, stopping his layup. Two of his 3-point attempts were triumphantly contested, and Haywood Highsmith forced him into a difficult step-back jumper inside the right wing to end the half. His running mate, Jalen Williams, was the only host to record multiple field goals in the frame, and the Thunder was held to seven of 20 makes.

At halftime, the Heat was up 57-47 and up on the glass by five. The group had 28 paint points, eight on the break, one from an extra try, six after turnovers and 33 from the bench. Jaquez was the high Heatle with 17 points on six of seven attempts. Next were Butler and Mills, each with 11. And Adebayo struggled to score, logging three points, but had four assists and six rebounds.

The Thunder picked up 22 interior points, eight in the open court, 11 via second chances, seven after turnovers and 14 from the reserves. SGA dispensed 14 points on five of 12 attempts. And Williams had eight on 42.9% shooting.

Then, two-and-a-half minutes into the third quarter, the Heat climbed to a 14-point lead following a Robinson right-wing banger. The unit missed its next six field goals over five minutes as the Thunder neutralized Adebayo’s pick-and-pop jumper in the paint and disrupted three of Rozier’s shots from close, medium and long range.

In that span, as the Heat’s offense was useless, the Thunder rattled off 17 straight points courtesy of SGA getting anything he wanted in the middle, Giddey punishing a double team on SGA from distance, plus Williams piercing the zone and burying a 3-pointer. The Thunder out-produced the Heat by 16 points in the sequence to lead 77-73 to start the fourth.

The guests made six of 14 buckets over eight minutes but were down seven on the scoreboard. Following up with five in a row- Rozier’s transition gash, corner triple and pick and pop shot, a three-footer from Butler and fallaway three from Robinson- still had the club behind by four.

SGA’s impact was as loud as a high-voltage thunderstorm, pulling up on his jump shot going right and left for a dozen more marks. And Aaron Wiggins connected on a second-chance triple, beat Caleb Martin to the cup for a layup and dusted Haywood Highsmith on the baseline, dunking as Rozier got out of the way. The lever that brought down the guillotine was Williams dribbling past JJJ and Adebayo’s help for a left-handed finish.

The Heat lost 100-107. The crew had 48 paint points, eight on the break, five on added attempts, 10 after turnovers and 45 from the bench. Jaquez led the group with 25 points on 10 of 13 looks. Butler’s 20 on 50% shooting followed.

The Thunder collected 46 interior points, 12 in the open court, 23 on extra tries, 18 after turnovers and 28 from the reserves. SGA had 37 points on 13 of 25 shots. Williams dropped 15. And Giddey tallied 11.

At the postgame presser, Spoelstra said, “If we could have finished off a couple more possessions, we might’ve had an opportunity to hold them under 100 [points].

In the locker room, Jaquez said, “Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done tonight, but we are going to learn from this and get better.”

The Heat is 9-0 when holding teams under 100 points in 2023-24. The team will not practice on Saturday (3/9).
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The Miami Heat withstood the Detroit Pistons – arguably the most pitiful team in the NBA- after seven lead changes and one tie.

Early, Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier were passive, and Bam Adebayo chronically misfired for the Heat. But Duncan Robinson sprayed drop coverage, pierced the zone, burned Ausar Thompson on the baseline with a hesitation dribble plus the layup and made two freebies.

Additionally, understudy Nikola Jović followed Robinson’s lead, setting up two trays and scoring six points. And Caleb Martin canned two baskets in the lane.

On the other side, the Pistons made a meager one of eight 3-pointers in the first quarter against weak protection. Although, Cade Cunningham logged seven points on three of five looks, including a ferocious slam over Jović. Jaden Ivey hit a bucket at the nail, successfully isolated Adebayo from the top to the cup on the left side and dribbled left to the baseline for a jumper over Robinson.

Next, Detroit’s Jalen Duren threw his weight around on offense, registering four shots in the square, none meaner than the lob over Adebayo and dunk after leaving his counterpart stuck in the post. On top of that, forward Simone Fontecchio made two triples, a floater and three free throws.

Yet, Caleb Martin detonated for 11 points, off-setting the win-starved Pistons’s second-quarter production. The only other Heatle in the frame to log multiple field goals was Rozier, swishing two midrange jumpers.

At halftime, the Heat was up 61-60 and behind on the glass by two. It had 24 paint points, eight on the break, seven on second chances, seven after turnovers and 24 from the bench. Martin had 15 points. Robinson had 12 on his scoring ledger.

The Pistons scored 28 interior points, three in the open court, seven on extra tries, five after turnovers and 16 from the reserves. Cunningham supplied a dozen points on four of seven shots. Fontecchio and Ivey each had 11. And Duren had 10 points.

Subsequently, the Heat had a shaky start coming out of intermission. The Pistons converted its first four of six baskets out of the break. But Adebayo triumphantly went at Duren three times, at close and midrange. Rozier splashed a few trays. And the rest of the Heatles made four of 10 shots in the period.

Defensively, the Heat contained visitors to 33.3% shooting in the fourth quarter. Ivey got free on the break for a layup through traffic and scored off a handoff. And Cunningham drove right for a four-foot finish and broke a trap on the left side for an elbow jumper. No other Piston tallied multiple field goals in the quarter as the Heat slowed down dribble penetration and contested outside jumpers on time.

For the Miami team, Butler closed the deal with a rim roll, driving past Evan Fournier and Fontecchio on the left side for a couple of layups, a right-wing pull-up triple and six freebies. The next scoring leader for the club in the fourth was Jaime Jaquez Jr., who put up a second-chance effort and hit a floater over Duren.

The Heat won 118-110 and were tied on the glass at 42. Furthermore, the hosts racked up 48 paint points, 16 on the break, 15 on second chances, 25 after turnovers and 31 from the bench. Butler logged 26 points on seven of 13 attempts, with eight assists and six rebounds. Adebayo and Robinson dropped 18 apiece. And Rozier had 17 points.

The Pistons had 48 interior points, nine on the break, 16 on extra tries, 14 after turnovers and 35 from the bench. Cunningham contributed 23 points on eight of 20 shots with eight dimes and four rebounds. Fontecchio was next on the scorecard with 22 points, making 43.8% of field goals.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “I anticipated it would be a physical, competitive game and it was every bit of that.”

In the locker room, Adebayo spoke on Jović’s impact. He said, “He is taking advantage of his opportunities. Obviously, he’s a great, willing passer.” The big man also added that Jović makes the team more dynamic.

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The Denver Nuggets outlasted the Heat in the first Finals rendezvous of the season on the second night of a back-to-back. The hosts opened the game on a 9-0 run, and minutes later, they forced Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s hand to call a timeout as the advantage reached double-digits.

Denver sharpshooter Michael Porter Jr. buried a wing triple and made a layup in transition. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shattered outside protections with three trifectas. Nikola Jokić directed the offense as a conductor would a symphony, setting up feeds to three snipers, plus spinning past Bam Adebayo at close range. And the rest of the team converted five of 11 shots, racing out to a 36-20 lead in the first quarter.

On the Heat side, understudy Nikola Jović canned a 3-pointer and scored on the dunker spot. Caleb Martin finished two layups. But not much else happened against man-to-man coverage until Jimmy Butler logged two straight baskets at the end of the period.

Yet, six early points to start the second quarter for the guests was enough for Nuggets coach Michael Malone to call a stoppage. Two dribble handoffs for Robinson, resulting in trays followed, as well two inside baskets for Terry Rozier. No other Heat player recorded more than a field goal in the second frame, but Jaime Jaquez Jr, Adebayo, Rozier and Butler combined for 10 of 12 freebies.

Defensively, the crew held the hosts to 23.8% shooting in the sequence by contesting jump shots on time after the catch. On top of that, doubling in the post and deflecting passes in traffic, created five turnovers.

With over three minutes to go in the first half and the Nuggets’ lead cut to six points, Jamal Murray received a handoff from Aaron Gordon that initiated a pick-and-roll set with Jokić at the top. As Murray dribbled down the left side and passed to his center cutting down the middle, his left foot accidentally stepped on AG’s right shoe. KCP didn’t hesitate to foul, getting his hurt teammate out of the game. (Murray then walked to the locker room and didn’t return for the next half.)

At halftime, the Heat was behind on the scoreboard 51-56 and tied on the glass at 22. Additionally, it racked up 22 paint points, eight on the break, nine via second chances, six after turnovers and nine from the bench. Rozier led all scorers inefficiently, with 10 points on two of seven shots. Butler had nine points, followed by Adebayo, Robinson and Martin, each with eight.

The Nuggets scored 18 interior points, seven on the break, nine on second tries, 11 after turnovers and five from the reserves. MPJ was the high Nugget, registering 18 points on seven of 12 attempts. Next was KCP, with 13 on his ledger and AG’s eight.

Yet, the Heat’s offense stalled out in the third interval, thanks to the Nuggets’ length in the backline disrupting anything Adebayo tried in the paint and the outside defense permitting only 33% of hoisted triples. The Denver outfit contained last year’s first losers to 19 points in the quarter.

Inversely, Porter sprayed the Heat with five baskets- driving on the baseline for a layup after pump-faking Jović, canning two threes, attacking the middle for a five-footer and fading over Martin on the right side. Moreover, Jokić contributed four points, four dimes and four rebounds as the home squad established a 13-point lead entering the final frame.

Jokić carried the champs in fourth, connecting on a turnaround jumper between two defenders, hooking over Adebayo and making four free throws.

But, after making eight of 18 shots through nine minutes, the Heat was down by seven. Next, four consecutive baskets were logged- Adebayo shooting over Jokić twice and Rozier swishing a pair of jumpers.

With 40 seconds left and the Heat four points below, Jokić, at the nail, illegally extended his right arm, clipping Adebayo, and was called for a foul and possession changed. On the next play, Rozier and Adebayo ran a pick-and-pop set that got the former open on the right wing facing Jokić in drop coverage. Rozier airballed.

On the other end, KCP missed a corner 3-pointer, and Butler got downhill quickly for a layup the Nuggets gave him because they didn’t want any trays inflicted on them. Subsequently, the free throw formality followed.

The Heat lost 97-103. It had 48 paint points, 12 on the break, 11 via second chances, 12 after turnovers and 16 from the bench. Adebayo scored 22 points on eight of 18 looks with seven boards. Next, Butler supplied 21 on 41.2% shooting and seven rebounds. Rozier had 19 points on six of 15 attempts.

The Nuggets gathered 40 interior points, nine in the open court, 13 on extra chances, 15 after turnovers and 15 from the reserves. Porter had 30 points, making 52.2% of tries, plus 11 rebounds. Jokić had 18 points and 11 rebounds. And KCP produced 18 on his scorecard.

In the locker room, Adebayo said, “We missed a lot of shots we usually make.”

When asked about assessing the overall performance, Butler said, “They’re where we want to be in the sense of finding a way to win. [Jamal Murray] went down, and they kept at it… We’re not quite there just yet, but we have a little bit more time to get there.”

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Coming out of the All-Star break in New Orleans, the Miami Heat got away with a dub at Smoothie King Center after tensions flared in the fourth, and the refs threw two players from each side. (Nikola Jovic started for Terry Rozier (right knee sprain). Josh Richardson was also out (dislocated shoulder).

As the Heat’s lead climbed to 19 points in the first half, the shooting display was like watching Sonny Corleone ride up to the toll booth. Herro made four consecutive shots. Jimmy Butler attacked from all sides, supplying 17 points. And Duncan Robinson connected on four of nine triples.

Defensively, the Heat deployed man coverage plus used the 2-2-1 press to slow down the Pelicans dribbling upcourt and the 2-3 zone in the halfcourt. NOLA’s Zion Williamson blasted through switches, scoring a reverse layup on the baseline, and logged four more close-range finishes. Additionally, CJ McCollum was held to one of seven makes, but he played through pain after twisting his left ankle.

Nearly five minutes into the second quarter, the Heat’s advantage bloated to 49-30. Then Herb Jones splashed a corner triple when Williamson was doubled and spun past Butler in transition for a six-foot floater. Williamson rolled to the rim for a layup and the Pelicans recorded eight of its last 14 attempts to close out the half on a 28-9 run.

At halftime, the game was tied at 58, but the hosts were ahead on the glass by eight. The Heat had 20 paint points, 11 on the break, two via second chances and five after turnovers. Butler tallied 17 on his scorecard with six rebounds and four assists. And Robinson and Herro each had a dozen points.

The Pelicans racked up 34 points in the square, nine in the open court, 13 on extra tries and 11 after turnovers. Williamson and Jones had 14 points apiece, but the latter was perfect on six attempts.

Next, the home team started the third quarter with Jose Alvarado in McCollum’s place. The Puerto Rican point guard contributed a donut, missing three tries. On top of that, Williamson missed in the paint guarded by Jovic, blanked over the backline and failed on a putback. The Heat capped the Pelicans to 40% shooting in the third quarter.

On offense, Adebayo cut on the baseline for a dunk, intercepted Williamson’s pass, got loose on the break and canned a midrange jumper over Jonas Valančiūnas. Butler registered a putback and an alley-oop dunk that a Tyler Herro back screen freed Herb Jones off of. And Caleb Martin had three assists, setting up Adebayo and Herro.

The Heatles entered the fourth quarter ahead 84-80, but tensions blazed 41 seconds into the period. The cause: Williamson stole the ball from Butler in Heat territory and quickly burst into the air for a layup, but was grabbed by Kevin Love to avoid the easy bucket. Yet, Williamson flopped after the contact, throwing himself to the ground. Subsequently, NOLA’s Naji Marshall shoved Love. Butler took exception, confronting Marshall and getting his throat grabbed, which set him off. He tried to get at the Pelicans forwards, but was stopped.

Close by, at the scorer’s table, as heads were cooling, Miami’s Thomas Bryant and Alvarado were exchanging words, then hands. When that scuffle broke, Butler, Bryant, Alvarado and Marshall were ejected. Game on.

Minus the Heat’s best player and fourth-string center, Adebayo carried the unit. He swished a nine-foot jumper, nailed a turnaround hook with Valančiūnas on his back, euro-stepped to the cup on the left side for a layup, and made two fadeaways and a hook over Larry Nance Jr.. The other Heatles poured in just three of 12 buckets.

(With under two minutes left, Herro hurt his left knee, stopping on a dime next to the sideline and left the game.)

On defense, Adebayo locked Williamson up at close range and the backline swarmed his drive. Rookie Jordan Hawkins was held to one of seven makes. And the remaining Pelicans scored on 33% of tries.

The Heat won 106-95 but were outrebounded by eight. Furthermore, the Heat produced 46 paint points, 18 on the break, 11 on second chances and 18 after turnovers. Adebayo supplied 24 points on 11 of 18 shots, with seven rebounds and three blocks. Butler had 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. And Robinson had 17 points.

The Pelicans had 60 interior points, 15 in the open court, 25 on added opportunities and 15 after turnovers. Williamson scored 23 points on nine of 22 attempts. And Herbert Jones had 19 on 80% shooting.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said he thought Williamson “slipped” after Love fouled him. “It looked a lot worse than what it was… I don’t think on K. Love’s best day, he could throw [Williamson] down.”

In the locker room, Herro said his knee was sore and would see how it felt in the morning.

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