Denver Nuggets extinguish the heat

by Junna Base November 9, 2024

First quarter

The Nuggets’ first outing of the game was very positive, especially for Aaron Gordon’s backup, Peyton Watson. He scored the first basket of the game on a drive and then got a big block and steal in succession. Add in his three-pointer, and the Nuggets had found a way to thrive. They began the game 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, with Jamal Murray scoring his first three-point attempt after returning from a concussion in that game.

The offense was humming, but the defense was a different story. The team’s perimeter defense has taken a significant step backwards from its championship year, and this game wasn’t entirely different. Jamal Murray, Christian Braun and Julian Strawther were all grilled at the fence. Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier had an easy time chasing the basket. However, Jimmy Butler was injured and that weakened the Heat.

When Russ came in, the tempo picked up a bit and the offense continued to be great. He is probably the best passer Jokic has ever played with. The offense was great with either him or Jamal on the court and the Nuggets scored 40 points in the first quarter. They shot 6 of 9 from distance. They made it look good and had a high conversion rate. The defense left a little to be desired, but the Heat played poorly so it didn’t matter. At the end of the first round the score was 40:27.

Second quarter

The second quarter was anything but ideal. Russ missed a turnaround jumper to open the game, and then Bam quickly scored four points that forced Malone into an early timeout. Strawther fouled him and missed a three-pointer just before. After the timeout, the situation for the Nuggets’ bench did not improve. They couldn’t find a bucket to save their lives, and it was clear they couldn’t find a rhythm on either end of the floor. The bench of Zeke Nnaji and MPJ was not convincing in defense. The Nuggets dropped points and didn’t score in the first three minutes of the quarter. Malone was forced into another timeout.

However, it was shocking when Nikola Jokic checked in again and the Nuggets scored on his second possession. They quickly returned to the scoring chances of the first quarter, but the defense still couldn’t find a solution. Jamal Murray and Julian Strawther were particularly bad over a one-second period. However, Jokic calmed everyone down and the Nuggets began to regain their lead.

Towards the end of the quarter, Christian Braun got into the swing of things, hitting two more three-pointers, bringing him to a perfect 3/3 from distance at halftime. Jamal was also successful, scoring 8 three-pointers in just 17 minutes. That third goal helped him reach 1,000 three-pointers in his career. The Nuggets kept the Heat’s defense honest, and it paid off for them. Four starters had at least 13 or more points and went into halftime up 11, 71-60.

Third quarter

The Nuggets continued their winning streak in the second half and maintained all the momentum. MPJ started with a 3-pointer, Braun continued with a dunk and Jamal and Jokic also got involved. In the first three minutes of the quarter, the Nuggets’ starters had scored 15 points. They also played better defense than in the first half, and Bam just didn’t hit any shots either. They went up to a 22-point game before Spoelstra called a timeout.

The lead continued to build for a while, eventually growing to 26. However, that wouldn’t last. The Nuggets began to take their foot off the gas, which led to an 18-4 run for the Heat. One where the lead shrank to 12. They just weren’t pressing the issue on offense anymore, and the defense had been poor all night but was reaching new lows. They managed to recover somewhat at the end of the quarter, but overall the third quarter was very disappointing for the Nuggs.

However, Hunter Tyson went on a nice little run where he scored 7 points in a row – including his first 3-pointer of the season. He then scored two layups to increase the score to 104-90, giving the Nuggets an advantage.

Fourth quarter

Michael Malone threw up an experimental lineup at the start of the final frame to try something out. He rejected a Russell Westbrook/Jamal Murray/Julian Strawther/Michael Porter Jr./Peyton Watson lineup. Strangely, it actually worked. PWat was able to hold its own in defense against Bam, especially because Bam played very poorly tonight. But he also cut a good figure on offense. So Peyton Watson at 5 worked well enough. Jamal Murray also made a jumper and Spoelstra had to quickly take a timeout in the fourth period.

The team threw a few turnovers that resulted in the lead being cut to 14, but then they increased it a bit more. They stopped being so careless. MPJ and Russ made two three-pointers and Peyton had a mid-range jump shot. The defense also looked better and the Nuggets extended the lead to 19. They wanted to do their best to give Jokic some rest. But this team never makes things that easy, right?

Well, the Heat caught fire and the Nuggets continued to play lackluster defense. This resulted in the lead being significantly reduced. It got down to 7 points, but Jokic and Jamal held on. They kept the game from getting any closer and the Nuggets won by a final score of 135-122. Nikola Jokic led the way with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists while shooting 85% from the field. Jamal Murray scored 28 points on 9 of 17 shots from the field. MPJ and Christian Braun also had 21. Russell Westbrook had 10 assists and Peyton Watson had 16 points and 5 rebounds.

Song of the game

The song for today’s game is “Easy Lover” by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins. It’s easy to love this team right now. It’s fun, they played quickly and happily. The ball is banging, spirits are high and they are one of the best teams in the league at the moment.

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