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.”

—

For exclusive Miami Heat content and chats, subscribe to Off the Floor:

It used to be a rose garden, but now it’s just a heap of dead flowers at the Moda Center- the remains of lost hope and dreams. One can only wonder what emotions stirred in Joe Cronin’s mind when Jaime Jaquez and Nikola Jovic- two NBA younglings- boosted the Heat during its second-half comeback.

Tyler Herro was absent (knee), and so was Josh Richardson (shoulder) for the Heat. The Blazers were missing Malcolm Brogdon (elbow), Shaedon Sharpe (abdomen) and Robert Williams III (knee).

But early, even with Terry Rozier’s return from a knee injury, nothing worked for the Heat on the second night of a back-to-back as it fell to a 15-point deficit. Portland’s Deandre Ayton hit a pair of jumpers and slammed a lob. Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant combined for five opening trays. And the Heat misfired on 15 of 21 attempts against man coverage and the 2-3 zone. At the end of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers led 28-15.

In the next frame, Ayton kept getting loose on two rim rolls, plus faced up Bam Adebayo and hooked over him in the lane. Portland’s second-round pick Toumani Camara even splashed two triples and a layup against the Heat’s zone.

But Butler retaliated, spinning past Grant and Duop Reath for consecutive finishes with contact. On the next play, he initiated the fastbreak and hit newcomer Delon Wright cutting on the baseline for a layup. And he set up Adebayo for two pick-and-pop jumpers in the paint.

Additionally, Rozier got to the cup in the open court, made a 3-pointer over drop coverage, and Wright set up two scores.

At halftime, the Heat was behind on the scoreboard 46-56 and outrebounded by six. The crew accumulated 26 paint points, six on the break, four via second chances and six after turnovers. Butler had 10 points, six assists and two steals. Adebayo and Rozier each had eight points.

The Blazers supplied 18 interior points, none on the break, nine from extra tries and 15 after turnovers. Ayton, Camara and Grant were its big three in the first half, uniting for 39 points on 14 of 23 shots.

(Ayton didn’t play the second half after hurting his hand on a collision with Kevin Love in the first. Duop Reath started in his place.)

Then the Heat kicked off the third quarter with an 8-0 run, courtesy of Robinson’s back-to-back trifectas and Butler’s dunk on the break. The guest’s avalanche followed with Butler canning a 3-pointer when left alone at the wing, Adebayo scoring in transition and Jović making two deep shots and a lob on the break. In the period, the Heat recorded 34 points on 11 of 16 ventures.

Defensively, the visitors locked up the Trail Blazers to 30.4% shooting in the third quarter with sharp man coverage and some zone. On top of that, the Heat permitted zero field goals (0 for eight) in the last four minutes of the interval, taking its first lead of the evening and going up by four heading into the fourth.

Despite the Blazers making five of 10 baskets to begin the quarter, the Heat was stronger. Martin seized the baseline for two points, Love made a top-of-the-key three, Butler connected on a baseline jumper over a double team, Rozier hit consecutive buckets, and the hosts didn’t hold on to the rope much longer.

Moreover, the Heat conceded 64% of attempts in the paint, late, but the Blazers failed on six 3-point attempts and three were open enough.

The Heat won 106-98, improving to an 18-12 road record (15-13 at Kaseya Center). The group had 40 paint points, 10 on the break, five on second chances and 11 after turnovers. Butler was the high Heatle, producing 22 on the scorecard, with four steals, two blocks, nine dimes and four boards. Rozier had 19 points, Robinson scored 17 and Adebayo contributed 13.

The Trail Blazers finished with 40 points in the square, two in the open court, 20 on additional opportunities and 23 after turnovers. Simons led the unit, scoring 26, followed by Grant’s 24 and Camara’s 17.

Rozier handled the on-court interview. He said he was anxious to suit up during the All-Star break and that he’s pleased to be healthy, providing and earning the recent win. When asked about the biggest challenge of playing with the team, he said, “Going from losing to winning.”

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “It was a challenging start to the game, but I thought this was a very good response, particularly in the second half. You could clearly see, [the Heat] were a little bit in the mud… We were playing a lot out of [Butler] and [Adebayo] in the post, and they were able to produce.”

The Heat will not practice on Wednesday.

—

For exclusive Miami Heat content and chats, subscribe to Off the Floor:

Did you see that?

The one possession that mattered in the All-Star Game for Heat supporters: Bam Adebayo dribbled upcourt, pulled up and swished a trifecta over Nikola Jokić. Instantly, the masses wondered how much his game could leap forward. If only TNT’s broadcast crew had the chops to quote Heat play-by-play caller Eric Reid with a well-deserved “Ka-Bam.”

Hopefully, it’s not something #13 abandons going forward. If so, it would further indict the unseriousness of the event and be a lost opportunity, too. When he came into the league, he couldn’t throw a brick into the ocean. Seven years later, his range has expanded to middle and he’s one of the top bigs in that zone. But he could do more.

In the modern NBA, barely any team knows how to cover the 3-point line. Even reputable defenders sag off the best shooters and sometimes a weak outside option is left alone behind the arc. And worse- defenders commit the cardinal sin of fouling 3-point shooters, trying to block the attempt as if many are even rejected on the perimeter.

Adebayo should punish defenses when they treat him like Draymond Green from distance. Yes, running the dribble handoff for a teammate in that spot ensures plenty of space and time if the screen is solid. But a teammate curling from the corner or baseline can take an extra second or two. He should start taking at least one triple nightly when the perimeter opens up for him. If he starts burying them, his matchup can’t play safety to trap his teammates. Eventually, an opposing player will send him to the stripe for three.

At Media Day for the 2021-22 campaign, Adebayo brazenly said he would start firing threes and wanted to be a shooter. That season, he missed all six of his deep tries, followed by one of 12 triples in 2022-23. This year, he’s logged one of 11 3-pointers through 45 outings.

Adebayo has frequently worked on outside marksmanship at the end of warmups for about three seasons. Still, he’s hardly found the nerve to attempt them in meaningful game moments, and that’s too bad. There always comes a time- no matter how badly he wants to set up his teammate- that the right move will be to take one himself.

To be clear, he should have the shot in his bag because it moves him closer to being a complete player. Yet, turning into a trigger-happy soft-big is the last thing the Heat needs. The latter would likely prevent him from setting career highs, like this year, in free throw attempts (6.3), and where he will always inflict the most pressure is in the paint.

To my knowledge, there is no incentive in Adebayo’s contract for making threes. But the Heat should consider adding it in his next extension, or coach Erik Spoelstra or anyone of rank could open up their wallets and fork out $1,600 per made triple. Club president Pay Riley used to pay his Knicks that much when taking charges. Despite NBAers being millionaires, monetary gains will still spike their interest.

—

For exclusive Miami Heat content and chats, subscribe to Off the Floor:

The Celtics rolled into Kaseya Center and pulled away from the Heat after tensions flared on Super Bowl Sunday. And of course, the setting was filled with a Playoff atmosphere on prime time TV between two rivals who have faced off in three of the last four Eastern Conference Finals.

(Jimmy Butler didn’t play because of the leave of absence following the death of a family member.)

Kristaps Porziņģis exterminated the Heat’s switches and late contests, scoring 11 in the opening frame. Jayson Tatum and Derrick White got into the lane, scoring multiple times. And Jaylen Brown schooled Jaime Jaquez Jr, losing him with his dribble for a fadeaway, pump-faking him out of the picture for a triple, then logging a putback between two defenders.

For the Heat, Caleb Martin and Jaquez were the only working options. Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier were misfiring, connecting on just one of seven looks. And Bam Adebayo went stretches without demanding the ball.

Through 12 minutes, the Celtics led 26-22.

In the second quarter, Tatum sliced the Heat’s zone through the center for a layup, recorded two pull-up left-wing trifectas and made a jumper over Herro on the baseline. Jrue Holiday contributed two trays. And the rest of Gang Green recorded 45% of attempts.

The Heatles were rolling to start the interval, making three of four baskets, but Josh Richardson hurt his right shoulder trying to strip Tatum in transition. He was done for the day.

Then Martin failed three shots and Adebayo went cold, recording one of five buckets, but he made five freebies. Rozier countered the Celtics, eluding a mismatch (Al Horford) for a midrange shot, and successfully dribbling into the paint, plus scoring on four occasions.

At halftime, the Heat was behind 50-59 and tied on the glass at 25. The hosts also had 22 paint points, two on the break, eight via second chances and three after turnovers. Rozier had 11 points on five 12 attempts. Adebayo scored 11 on 33% of looks. And the rest of the club produced 11 of 31 buckets.

The Celtics recorded 24 in the square, none on the break, seven on extra tries and five after turnovers. Porziņģis dropped 16 points on six of nine makes with eight boards and three dimes. Brown had a dozen on half of his ventures. And Tatum added 14 to the scoring ledger on 60% shooting.

Tatum followed up, splashing two fadeaways, driving left past Martin from the top to the rim for a left-handed layup and bumping Rozier, hitting a floater on the baseline. Holiday swished three left-corner trays. And the rest of the Celtics recorded 43% of attempts.

Herro discharged 10 points -catching and firing on the left wing, pulling up for a head-of-the-key triple, finishing up close against drop coverage and beating Sam Hauser from the top to the cup for a layup. And Adebayo shot over the 2-3 zone in the middle and scored a putback.

Yet, seven minutes into the sequence, Rozier dusted Horford outside, busted into the paint, but was fouled by Tatum, the help defender, and came down awkwardly on his right leg. He was then helped to the locker room and didn’t return. The team’s X (formerly Twitter) account said it was his knee, but coach Erik Spoelstra said during a stoppage in play before the fourth that it was his ankle. The Heat has not cleared this up.

The Heat began the fourth quarter down 79-86. Four minutes in, Brown and Robinson got tangled up, battling for position. While Robinson’s arm was behind Brown, he was forcefully yanked forward. The reckless act for a simple foul could have popped Robinson’s shoulder out of place, ending his season like Kevin Love’s courtesy of Kelly Olynyk in 2015. Perhaps frontier justice would have been discharged if Udonis Haslem was still captain.

The refs checked it out, penalizing Brown with a flagrant one, but it should have got him tossed. Robinson was still upset and exchanged unpleasantries with Brown. From that moment forward, the intensity of the game increased 100 degrees.

Subsequently, Adebayo powered through the baseline for a layup and hit a nine-foot jump shot over Porziņģis. Herro drove left for a deuce, made a 3-pointer in front of Horford in drop coverage and another on the right wing, facing Brown.

But the Celtics got responses from Porziņģis, Tatum and Brown.

With a minute left and the Heat down two points, Haywood Highsmith missed a triple, and Martin foolishly fouled Porziņģis instantly, sending him to the charity line for a pair. Adebayo then missed the next shot at the nail, and the club was now 99% buried. With 15 seconds left and down six points, the Heat inbounded to Herro, and instead of popping a triple to keep the team on life support, went inside for a layup.

The Heat lost 106-110. It racked up 50 paint points, eight on the break, 23 via second chances and 15 after turnovers. Herro had 24 points, five rebounds and four assists. Adebayo logged 22 points with 13 rebounds. The bench had 26 points.

The Celtics had 38 paint points, zero on the break, 19 on extra tries and 10 after turnovers. Tatum had 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Porziņģis had 25 on the scoring ledger with nine boards. Brown registered 20 points and nine rebounds. And the bench produced 18 points.

At the postgame presser, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said it was great that his group got into a confrontation. “We don’t go looking for stuff. But you have to man up… I told our guys at halftime, ‘Expect it to be hard.’”

On the Heat side, coach Erik Spoelstra said Richardson and Terry will get MRIs on Monday.

In the locker room, when speaking about the altercation with Brown, Robinson said, “I thought it was a dirty play. That’s how people miss whole seasons.”

—

For exclusive Miami Heat content and chats, subscribe to Off the Floor: