NBA Finals The Game 2 Highlights

For Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the Heat moved their 34-year-old stretch forward Kevin Love off the sidelines and into the starting lineup, enabling Miami to take a 21-10 lead after one quarter.

Love was neither Miami’s top scorer nor the solution to slow Nikola, who would end with a spectacular 41 points and 11 rebounds. In Miami’s 111-108 victory over the Nuggets, which tied this championship series at 1-1, Love, who had 6 points and 10 rebounds, assisted in spreading the floor even wider for the Heat’s own pass-happy scoring attack.

Miami Regains Lead at the Beginning of 4th Quarter

A 12-4 run, highlighted by Bam Adebayo‘s ‘And-1’ layup, helped Miami match its highest lead from their first quarter to a 104-93 advantage, as they played the first 7 minutes of the final period. Max Strus hit his initial three triples early after failing all ten of his field goal tries in Game 1. The Heat’s star point guard, Gabe Vincent, scored a game-high 23 points by making 4-of-6 three-point attempts. Miami turned the tables on the first-half narrative of bench units chipping up at a lead and changing the course of the game with Duncan Robinson scoring 8 points in that initial minute of the final quarter. 

Defending Jokic Agressively at NBA FINALS Game 2

After the break, when the tempo dropped, both teams overcame double-digit deficits to square off. The Heat defence became noticeably more tough, in particular with Adebayo squaring off against Jokić‘s brutal bulldozes into the paint. Jokić’s passing presented the same threat to Miami as it did in Game 1, as the multiple-time MVP poured in 14 assists. The Heat put defender after defender at Jokić in this game, on the blocks and at the elbows throughout the second half. When the game rolled in their direction, Denver’s other shooters were unable to convert. 

Jeff Green, Bruce Brown, and Christian Braun, the Nuggets’ three-man reserve corps, added the vigour which Miami’s ball-handlers lacked. They did this by swarming them, forcing turnovers, racing the floor in alteration, attacking the hoop, and launching 3-pointers. This team led a 31-9 run that lasted just nine minutes of game time, from the end of the first quarter to the beginning of the second, thereby regaining control of the game and giving Denver a 50-35 lead with just five minutes remaining in the first half.

Jokić was still able to force his way to scores, but the Nuggets’ scoring effort lacked the consistency it had for much of this series. When the game was on the line, Jamal Murray led a Denver surge in the second quarter while Jokić rested and sank a barrage of 3-pointers, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope only managed a quiet 6 points on 4 shots overall. The 2018 draught pick Michael Porter Jr., who has improved his shot choice and defensive awareness, stepped back into a few dubious looks and disappeared on a few of Vincent’s wide-open deep shots, forgetting his task in the midst of Miami’s actions.

Despite their patchy play in terms of discipline, the Nuggets were leading, going into the last quarter. This could be partly credited to Jokić’s genius. In the third period alone, Jokic scored 18 points, and in the 31 minutes leading up to the fourth, he had 31 points on 12-for-23 shooting. Duncan Robinson, who Denver had covered in the initial half, keeping the shooting guard without trying to score in five fruitless minutes, finally found some air and quickly warmed up, but the sloppiness and lack of attention to detail immediately became obvious.

Final Quarter Turns Heat On in NBA FINALS Game 2

Adebayo put on an outstanding two-way performance, scoring 21 points and grabbing 9 rebounds while bearing the brunt of Joki’s strong shoulders in the limited area (8-of-14 shooting). While Miami’s run to the Finals has seen a decline in Adebayo’s scoring effectiveness, the games where he’s cruising downhill with an assist in his head always seem to go more smoothly for the Heat’s overall quest for a championship. Jimmy Butler scored two midrange baskets off his dribble and added seven more points to his total of 21 in the fourth quarter.

It began to feel like playing in quicksand as Miami went 6-for-7 on 2-pointers, 5-for-9 on 3-pointers, and 9-for-10 on baskets in the fourth quarter. Beautiful ball and body movement led to 9 assists on 11 makes.

Miami To Gather Its Heroes for the Next Game 3 NBA FINALS

Game 3 of the Finals will be played on Wednesday in Miami. Love is expected to continue playing in the Heat’s starting lineup, as he took the position of Caleb Martin, a forward who had a breakout Eastern Conference Finals. Martin was iffy for this game because of illness and missed practise over the weekend, but he performed 21 minutes and scored 3 points on 1-of-3 shooting. This series is still very much alive thanks to the return to the home floor, where supporting shooters are more likely to get familiar bounces off the perimeter, a few more days for a crucial player like Martin to recover, and the possible return of scorer guard Tyler Herro