There’s simply no quit in this Miami Heat team.
Miami survived a Nikola Jokic onslaught in the 3rd Quarter of Game 2 in the NBA Finals, and answered it with some Duncan Robinson magic to start the last!
Robinson gave the Heat a quick fire 10 Points to start the last quarter, giving the Heat a huge boost on their way to a 111-108 victory in Denver.
Miami were also well supported by all of their role players, with Max Strus backing up his disastrous game 1 with 14 Points in Game 2 on 4-10 from 3. Strus managed a donut in Game 1 but started Game 2 red hot, giving Miami exactly what they expect from their sharp shooter.
Gabe Vincent was also brilliant for the Heat, finishing 8-12 from the field (4-6 from 3) on his way to 23 Points on the night. Vincent and Strus led the way early for the Heat, forcing Denver’s hand to guard everyone on the floor for Miami, which also opened up another big night for Bam Adebayo (21 Points, 9 Rebounds and 4 Assists).
Nikola Jokic led the way for Denver with 41 Points, 11 Rebounds, but only 4 Assists on the night, as his Nuggets team mates couldn’t go with him on the night.
Jamal Murray got going late in the piece, pulling the lead back from 11 to 3 in the closing stages of the game, only to see his game tying three rim out at the buzzer. Murray finished with 18 Points and 10 Assists on the night, but the Nuggets will need more from Murray in Miami on Thursday to get home court advantage back.
The big issue was the play of Michael Porter Jr, who seemed out of rhythm from the get go in Game 2. Porter finished with 5 Points and 6 Rebounds on the night, shooting 2-8 from the field and 1-6 from 3. Porter was also lost at times defensively, and was almost unplayable in parts of the game. He may very well be the deciding piece in this series if the Nuggets are to go on and claim their maiden NBA Title.
After the first 2 games it’s clear Miami’s role players have been the difference to start this series, for good or worse. Strus and Robinson struggled a lot in Game 1, but were the difference in the end in Game 2.
The likes of Porter and KCP may need to be the difference in Miami to get the Nuggets back on track, as the two Nuggets starters haven’t fired as of yet to start the series.
If Porter continues to struggle the Nuggets may look to go smaller, with Bruce Brown giving the Nuggets bench a lot of energy in both opening games.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals kicks off Thursday, with Game 4 being friendly for all Aussie hoops fans on Saturday, live on ESPN and Kayo.
Miami have been red hot at home in the post season, but their last game ended in heartbreak on their home floor courtesy of a Derrick White game winner at the buzzer.
Denver will be hoping for a similar fate in this one, and it’s hard to see them not getting at least 1 on the road before heading back to Denver in Game 5!
Cheers
Bauky