The Denver Nuggets played their second game of a back to back against the Miami Heat at the ball arena in Denver. However, this would be no easy feat for the Nuggets as coming into this game The Heat were on a 5 game winning streak and were 8-2 in there last 10 games. However, Denver had their own winning streak going on so it was the battle of the winning streaks and a repeat of last years NBA finals. At the start of this game The Nuggets were on a 9-0 run and they didn’t look back as they scored 36 points in the quarter compared to the Heat’s 20.

The second quarter however went more favorably to Miami as they scored 31 points and the Nuggets only scored 20 making the halftime score 56 – 51. But, just like the last few games the 3rd quarter was really when the Nuggets shined as they scored 27 points compared to the Heat’s 19 making it 83 -70. The largest impactful scoring difference in this game was in the 4th quarter when the Nuggets were up 90-77 with 7 minutes left and the game seemed all but over as Malone started putting starters on the bench. However, the game was far from done as the Heat had a couple of late 6-0 runs and some impeccable efforts by Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin and Terry Rozier made the game 99- 97. This means that the Nuggets only got 9 points in 7 minutes compared to the Heats 20. However the late efforts by the Heat were not enough as Jokic was fouled and made all his free throws. Then the ball was in Denver’s zone and hit off Terry Rozier’s knee. Then the Nuggets inbounded the ball, the Heat fouled KCP, and he made both his free throws. Ultimately making the final score of this game 103 -97.

Overall, the game had all the hype I predicted it would have as it had back and forth action, circus shots, intensity. It was definitely a heart-felt deserved win for the Nuggets and with this win The Nuggets reach 41-19 and are now only a game back behind the Thunder. The Nuggets are now on a 5 game winning steak and with the win Michael Malone has become the coach with the second most wins in Franchise History with 445 wins passing George Karl. Also by winning this game The Nuggets ended the Heat’s 5 game winning streak. The main person responsible for ending the Heat’s streak and ensuring Denver’s win tonight was Michael Porter Jr as he must of saw my last article about his decline because today he decided to drop 30 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists all mostly done before the 4th quarter.

This was definitely a big boost and bonus for the team as Jamal Murray immediately went to the locker in the second quarter with an apparent ankle sprain. The injury is not a good sign for the Nuggets as he was put on the injury list 2 games ago for tibia inflammation and when Michael Malone was asked about it he said “He tried to give it a go and it didn’t work out for him” so the fans are definitely hoping he is not out for a long period. Players other than Porter who helped out in the win was Nikola Jokic, KCP and Aaron Gordan as despite breaking his triple double streak The Joker still finished with a solid performance as he had 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists in the match. Caldwell Pope had 18 points and AG had 16 points and 9 rebounds. In the post game interview Michael Malone said “Tonight was a completely different game compared to our last 4, tonight was a playoff game. They’re a great defensive team, we had to earn everything, we didn’t have a great shooting night but Porter was outstanding 30 and 11, Nikola, KCP, it was quality win against a team that is playing at a high level”.

Overall, the Nuggets look to stay true to there coaches statement as they hope to continue putting in these quality wins as they have there next match-up tomorrow against The Lakers in Las Angeles.