Denver beats Miami 100-88 in an NBA Finals rematch and moves atop the Western Conference
MIAMI (AP) After four months of looking up at others in the Western Conference, Denver finally is alone atop the standings.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points, Aaron Gordon added 16 and the reigning NBA champion Nuggets took sole possession of first place in the West standings with a 100-88 win over the sliding Miami Heat in a finals rematch on Wednesday night.
“If we can get (the No. 1 seed), sure, we’re going to take it," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "And we’re not going to shy away from that. You know, it was very effective for us last year, having home-court throughout the entirety of the playoffs.”
Jamal Murray scored 14 points and Nikola Jokic finished with 12 points, 14 rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets (46-20), who moved a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City (45-20) and a full game up on Minnesota (45-21) in the West race.
Denver is an NBA-best 10-1 since the All-Star break, and the Nuggets are 32-9 when their go-to starting five - Porter Jr., Gordon, Murray, Jokic and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - are together in the lineup. The Nuggets hadn't ended a day alone atop the West since mid-November.
“When they want to put on the jets, they've been able to leave teams behind in the dust,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Bam Adebayo scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Miami. Jimmy Butler scored 15, Terry Rozier had 14 and Duncan Robinson added 11 for the Heat (35-30), who are now 2 1/2 games behind Orlando - a winner over Brooklyn on Wednesday - in the Southeast Division race.
The Heat have lost four straight and remain No. 8 in the Eastern Conference, playing again Wednesday without Tyler Herro (foot) and Kevin Love (heel).
Denver is 12-1 in its last 13 games against the Heat, including last season's NBA Finals, and has won seven consecutive games on Miami's home floor.
Reggie Jackson made three jumpers in a span of three possessions late in the fourth for Denver, his seven-point flurry putting the Nuggets up by 10 with 3:38 left. That was more than enough; Denver held Miami to four points in the final 4:34 and outscored the Heat 28-17 in the fourth.
“They were playing off me, trying to guard the best player in the world - Jokic,” Jackson said.
Added Spoelstra: “They had their burst, and that was basically the game.”
Denver used a 15-0 run in the first quarter to build a double-digit lead, one that eventually reached 13 points in the opening period. The Nuggets led for all but 2:48 of the first half, but the Heat never trailed by more than eight in the second quarter.
And in the third, Miami finally - but briefly - reclaimed the lead. Former Nuggets center Thomas Bryant scored for a four-point lead late in the third, matching Miami's biggest edge of the night, but Denver responded with a 10-2 run and stayed ahead the rest of the way.
“Something we always talk about is that your fourth quarter has to be your best quarter,” Malone said. “It's closing time.”
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Visit San Antonio on Friday night.
Heat: Visit Detroit on Friday night, then again Sunday afternoon.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Nikola Jokic vs. Bam Adebayo (Jamal Murray gains possession) | ||
| 11:46 |  | Nikola Jokic misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 11:43 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 11:32 | | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point driving finger roll layup (Jimmy Butler assists) | 0-2 |
| 11:11 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 11:07 | | Duncan Robinson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:56 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point jump shot (Terry Rozier assists) | 0-4 |
| 10:37 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point layup (Nikola Jokic assists) | 2-4 |
| 10:22 | | Jimmy Butler misses two point alley-oop layup | ||
| 10:20 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 10:13 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point running dunk | 4-4 |
| 10:01 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point jump shot | ||
| 9:59 | | Terry Rozier offensive rebound | ||
| 9:58 | | Terry Rozier misses two point tip layup | ||
| 9:57 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 9:39 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point turnaround hook shot | 6-4 |
| 9:24 | | +3 | Jimmy Butler makes three point jump shot (Duncan Robinson assists) | 6-7 |
| 9:09 | | Bam Adebayo blocks Jamal Murray's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 9:07 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 8:56 | | Terry Rozier misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:56 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 8:56 | | Aaron Gordon personal foul (Loose ball) (Nikola Jovic draws the foul) | ||
| 8:50 | | Jimmy Butler misses two point jump shot | ||
| 8:47 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 8:34 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:30 | | Jimmy Butler defensive rebound | ||
| 8:22 | | +2 | Duncan Robinson makes two point driving layup (Jimmy Butler assists) | 6-9 |
| 8:07 | | Nikola Jokic turnover (bad pass) (Nikola Jovic steals) | ||
| 8:01 | | Nikola Jovic turnover (bad pass) (Nikola Jokic steals) | ||
| 7:55 | | +3 | Michael Porter Jr. makes three point stepback jump shot (Aaron Gordon assists) | 9-9 |
| 7:37 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:34 | | Jamal Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 7:25 | | +3 | Jamal Murray makes three point jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 12-9 |
| 7:13 | | Duncan Robinson turnover (bad pass) (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope steals) | ||
| 7:10 | | +2 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes two point running dunk | 14-9 |
| 6:48 | | Terry Rozier misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:44 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 6:38 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:34 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 6:27 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:21 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 6:12 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point stepback jump shot (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope assists) | 16-9 |
| 5:51 | | Jimmy Butler misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:48 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 5:43 | | Nikola Jovic shooting foul (Aaron Gordon draws the foul) | ||
| 5:43 | | Heat 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:43 | | Aaron Gordon misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 5:43 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 5:43 | | +1 | Aaron Gordon makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 17-9 |
| 5:36 | | Jimmy Butler misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:32 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 5:29 | | Duncan Robinson personal foul (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope draws the foul) | ||
| 5:19 | | Reggie Jackson misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:17 | | Nikola Jokic offensive rebound | ||
| 5:14 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:09 | | Michael Porter Jr. offensive rebound | ||
| 5:09 | | +2 | Michael Porter Jr. makes two point pullup jump shot | 19-9 |
| 4:41 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:38 | | Reggie Jackson defensive rebound | ||
| 4:35 | | Aaron Gordon misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:32 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 4:16 | | Caleb Martin turnover (bad pass) (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope steals) | ||
| 4:13 | | +2 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes two point running dunk | 21-9 |
| 3:58 | | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point layup | 21-11 |
| 3:37 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 3:34 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 3:29 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point running jump shot | ||
| 3:29 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 3:23 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 3:23 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 3:13 | | Reggie Jackson misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:12 | | Nikola Jokic offensive rebound | ||
| 3:12 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point tip layup | 23-11 |
| 3:12 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. shooting foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 3:12 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 24-11 |
| 2:54 | | +2 | Caleb Martin makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 24-13 |
| 2:32 | | Peyton Watson misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:28 | | Patty Mills defensive rebound | ||
| 2:18 | | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point bank jump shot (Patty Mills assists) | 24-15 |
| 1:54 | | Reggie Jackson turnover (bad pass) (Patty Mills steals) | ||
| 1:43 | | Caleb Martin misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:43 | | Peyton Watson defensive rebound | ||
| 1:29 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point turnaround hook shot (Justin Holiday assists) | 26-15 |
| 1:14 | | Christian Braun personal foul (Patty Mills draws the foul) | ||
| 1:14 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 1:04 | | Patty Mills misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:01 | | Justin Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 0:48 | | Peyton Watson misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:45 | | Caleb Martin defensive rebound | ||
| 0:41 | | +2 | Patty Mills makes two point pullup jump shot (Caleb Martin assists) | 26-17 |
| 0:35 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point jump shot | ||
| 0:30 | | Jimmy Butler defensive rebound | ||
| 0:22 | | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point driving layup | 26-19 |
| 0:03 | | Peyton Watson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:03 | | Patty Mills defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:49 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Jamal Murray steals) | ||
| 11:44 | | Justin Holiday misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:40 | | Patty Mills defensive rebound | ||
| 11:30 | | +2 | Thomas Bryant makes two point layup (Patty Mills assists) | 26-21 |
| 11:17 | | Justin Holiday misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:14 | | Thomas Bryant defensive rebound | ||
| 11:04 | | Caleb Martin misses two point driving layup | ||
| 11:03 | | Caleb Martin offensive rebound | ||
| 11:00 | | Justin Holiday shooting foul (Caleb Martin draws the foul) | ||
| 11:00 | | +1 | Caleb Martin makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-22 |
| 11:00 | | +1 | Caleb Martin makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-23 |
| 10:48 | | Justin Holiday misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:44 | | Thomas Bryant defensive rebound | ||
| 10:42 | | Patty Mills turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 10:25 | | +2 | Peyton Watson makes two point driving layup (Christian Braun assists) | 28-23 |
| 10:04 | | Patty Mills misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 10:00 | | Justin Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 9:47 | | Justin Holiday misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:45 | | Heat defensive rebound | ||
| 9:30 | | Jimmy Butler turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 9:12 | | +2 | Peyton Watson makes two point jump shot (Justin Holiday assists) | 30-23 |
| 9:02 | | Zeke Nnaji shooting foul (Thomas Bryant draws the foul) | ||
| 9:02 | | Thomas Bryant misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 9:02 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 9:02 | | +1 | Thomas Bryant makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 30-24 |
| 8:52 | | Christian Braun offensive foul (Caleb Martin draws the foul) | ||
| 8:52 | | Christian Braun turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 8:33 | | +2 | Caleb Martin makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 30-26 |
| 8:21 | | +3 | Jamal Murray makes three point stepback jump shot | 33-26 |
| 8:10 | | Justin Holiday blocks Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s two point layup | ||
| 8:07 | | Jimmy Butler offensive rebound | ||
| 8:05 | | Justin Holiday shooting foul (Thomas Bryant draws the foul) | ||
| 8:05 | | +1 | Thomas Bryant makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 33-27 |
| 8:05 | | +1 | Thomas Bryant makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-28 |
| 7:47 | | +2 | Jamal Murray makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 35-28 |
| 7:26 | | Patty Mills misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 7:22 | | Peyton Watson defensive rebound | ||
| 7:18 | | Jamal Murray misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:15 | | Thomas Bryant defensive rebound | ||
| 7:08 | | Jamal Murray shooting foul (Jaime Jaquez Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 7:08 | | +1 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 35-29 |
| 7:08 | | +1 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 35-30 |
| 6:51 | | +3 | Michael Porter Jr. makes three point jump shot (Reggie Jackson assists) | 38-30 |
| 6:33 | | Aaron Gordon shooting foul (Jaime Jaquez Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 6:33 | | Heat 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:33 | | +1 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-31 |
| 6:33 | | +1 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-32 |
| 6:11 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:07 | | Terry Rozier defensive rebound | ||
| 5:59 | | +2 | Duncan Robinson makes two point driving floating jump shot (Terry Rozier assists) | 38-34 |
| 5:42 | | +3 | Michael Porter Jr. makes three point jump shot (Aaron Gordon assists) | 41-34 |
| 5:21 | | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point stepback jump shot | 41-36 |
| 5:00 | | Nikola Jokic turnover (bad pass) (Duncan Robinson steals) | ||
| 4:55 | | Reggie Jackson shooting foul (Bam Adebayo draws the foul) | ||
| 4:55 | | Bam Adebayo misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 4:55 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 4:55 | | Bam Adebayo misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 4:52 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 4:40 | | +2 | Reggie Jackson makes two point pullup jump shot | 43-36 |
| 4:26 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point jump shot | ||
| 4:23 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 4:20 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. personal foul (Aaron Gordon draws the foul) | ||
| 4:03 | | Reggie Jackson misses two point driving layup | ||
| 4:00 | | Duncan Robinson defensive rebound | ||
| 3:50 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:47 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 3:34 | | Aaron Gordon misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 3:32 | | Terry Rozier defensive rebound | ||
| 3:27 | | Aaron Gordon shooting foul (Terry Rozier draws the foul) | ||
| 3:27 | | +1 | Terry Rozier makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 43-37 |
| 3:27 | | +1 | Terry Rozier makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 43-38 |
| 3:10 | | Haywood Highsmith personal foul (Aaron Gordon draws the foul) | ||
| 3:06 | | Terry Rozier shooting foul (Jamal Murray draws the foul) | ||
| 3:06 | | +1 | Jamal Murray makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 44-38 |
| 3:06 | | +1 | Jamal Murray makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 45-38 |
| 2:52 | | Jimmy Butler misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:50 | | Jimmy Butler offensive rebound | ||
| 2:46 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point floating jump shot (Haywood Highsmith assists) | 45-40 |
| 2:28 | | Jamal Murray misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:25 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 2:13 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 45-42 |
| 1:52 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 1:49 | | Jimmy Butler blocks Jamal Murray's two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:48 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 1:47 | | Nuggets turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 1:28 | | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point jump shot (Duncan Robinson assists) | 45-44 |
| 1:08 | | +2 | Michael Porter Jr. makes two point layup (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope assists) | 47-44 |
| 0:46 | | Terry Rozier misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 0:44 | | Michael Porter Jr. d |