NBA Picks & thePeachBasket Pick’EM Preview between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets. Alternative Fantasy Basketball that is Free 2 Play directly on thePeachBasket. WIN prizes & experiences!
The following comes courtesy of Bard, Google’s AI platform except where bold.
The Miami Heat defeated the Denver Nuggets, 118-102, in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night at FTX Arena [The game was in Denver and the Miami Heat won, 111-108]. The Heat evened the series at 1-1.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 33 points, six rebounds, and five assists [Butler finished with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists]. Bam Adebayo added 22 points and 12 rebounds [Adebayo had 21 points and 9 rebounds]. Max Strus scored 19 points off the bench [Strus started and contributed 14 points].
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists [Jokic had 41 points, 11 rebounds but only 4 assists] . Jamal Murray added 25 points. Michael Porter Jr. scored 17 points. [Murray had 18 points and MPJ had only 5 points]
The Heat shot 50.0% from the field and 40.0% from three-point range [Close, the Heat shot 48.7% overall and 48.6% from deep]. The Nuggets shot 43.8% from the field and 32.1% from three-point range [Nuggets shot 52% overall and 39.3% from deep].
The Heat led by as many as 21 points in the first half and never looked back [Heat led by 12 points at the most]. They outscored the Nuggets 30-16 in the third quarter to put the game away [Denver won the third quarter, 26-24].
The Heat will look to take a 2-1 lead in the series when they host Game 3 on Wednesday night.
Here are some other key takeaways from Game 2:
- The Heat’s defense was suffocating. They held the Nuggets to just 43.8% shooting from the field and 32.1% from three-point range [Both teams were good defensively, look up for Nuggets shooting percentages].
- The Heat’s bench was a major factor. They outscored the Nuggets’ bench 46-24 [Heat bench did outscore the Nuggets bench, but only by a score of 31-14].
- The Nuggets need more from their role players. Other than Jokic and Murray, no other Nuggets player scored in double figures. [Not exactly. Gordon, Porter Jr and Brown all scored in double-digits. The Nuggets likely have to shoot better and get Jokic more involved as his 4 assists were a playoff low]
The Heat are now 6-0 at home in the playoffs. They will look to continue their home dominance in Game 3.