The Miami Heat survived a 41-point night from two-time MVP Nikola Jokic on Sunday night to rally and beat the Denver Nuggets, 111-108, in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. While Jokic paced the Nuggets with a monster performance, it was Miami’s scoring balance that won out at Ball Arena, with Gabe Vincent scoring 23 points, with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo adding 21 each for the Eastern Conference champions.
The game was topsy-turvy, with Miami jumping out to an early lead, before Denver surged to a 15 point lead, with that advantage trimmed to eight points by the start of the fourth quarter. The Heat dominated the final stanza, outscoring the Nuggets 17-5 in the first 3:17 in the fourth to rip the advantage early, then holding off a series of home team surges in the final minutes. A three-point attempt by Jamal Murray at the buzzer rimmed out, giving the visitors the victory.
Max Strus had 14 points and Duncan Robinson 10 (all in the fourth quarter) for Miami. Game 3 is slated for Wednesday night in Miami.