The Miami Heat evened up the NBA Finals by beating the Denver Nuggets on the road in a very important game on Sunday.
Game 2 was mostly won by the Nuggets, who were in charge for most of the game. However, in the last few minutes, the Heat caught fire and won in a big way at Ball Arena, Denver.
In the last 12 minutes, Erik Spoelstra’s team outscored the Nuggets 36-25 to win on the road and take the home edge back to Miami.
Before Game 2, Denver was 11-0 in the playoffs when they led by at least 10 points and 37-1 this season when they had at least an 8-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but the Heat’s “never say die” attitude got them back in the game.
“Our guys love to play in the fourth quarter,” said head coach Spoelstra. “In those times of truth, they love to put themselves out there.”
The Heat coach also said that all of the problems Miami has had this year have helped them win tough games, making them the most successful No. 8 seed in NBA playoff history.
“We want to have the chance to face difficulties and be able to get through them. “That makes you stronger,” Spoelstra said.
As has happened so often in the playoffs, Miami’s supporting players stepped up to give the team a much-needed boost.
Gabe Vincent scored 23 points to lead the Heat in scoring. He went 4 for 6 from beyond the hoop to continue his great play in the playoffs. After the game, Spoelstra called the guard a “special guy.”
“He’s just an amazing player who always wins. He has been a starter for us this year. He’s been great. Spoelstra said of Vincent, “He’s been great since he came off the bench.” “He has the same drive to win as a lot of our guys. When you’re put to the test, like we are in this series, you hope that it brings out the best in you. And that’s what’s happening to him.”
Even though the Heat came back to win Game 2, Nuggets star Nikola Joki had another great game, which is to be expected these days.
The two-time Most Valuable Player scored 41 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as he kept his record-setting playoffs going.
After Sunday’s game, Joki became the first center in history to score more than 500 points and give more than 100 assists in a single playoffs. This was a great addition to his already impressive record.
In Game 2, the Serbian center only had four assists, but Nuggets coach Michael Malone wasn’t worried by this low number.
“I know Nikola will always make the right read, whether he has 41 points and only four assists or 25 points and 15 assists,” Malone said.
But Malone wasn’t happy with how the rest of his team played in the Finals game.
“Let’s talk about working hard. “This is the NBA Finals, and we’re talking about effort; that’s one of my biggest worries,” he said.
Malone added, “We had guys out there who were either feeling sorry for themselves because they weren’t making shots or who thought they could just turn it on or off. This is neither the practice nor the regular season. Here we are at the NBA Finals. That makes no sense to me at all and makes me sad.”
Game 3 of the series will be played on Wednesday in Miami, and everything is still up for grabs.
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