The Denver Nuggets snapped their three-game losing streak and held off a scrappy Miami Heat 116-113 in Miami Sunday evening on the strength of Danilo Gallinari‘s 29 points, Nikola Jokic‘s 35th double-double of the season and the re-emergence of Emmanuel Mudiay, who logged more than 30 minutes for the first time since Jan. 16 and was an assist shy of a double-double of his own, finishing with 17 points and nine assists.
The Nuggets held off a number of rallies by the Heat as the teams traded blows throughout most of the fourth quarter. Ultimately, it was a huge block by Mudiay with 41 seconds left, followed by two free throws (his only two attempts of the game) by Jamal Murray with 9.5 seconds remaining that led to victory for Denver on Sunday night in Miami.
Goran Dragic led the Heat with 22 points but managed only two points on two free throws in the fourth quarter and Hassan Whiteside finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. Rodney McGruder, Luke Babbitt, Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson all hit huge three-pointers for the Heat down the stretch, and as a team hit 10-of-17 second-half three-point attempts, but it wasn’t enough in the end.
The triple-double watch was in effect once again for Nikola Jokic as he finished the game with 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, adding two steals and only turning the ball over once and Wilson Chandler turned in another efficient performance, scoring 19 points on 8-13 shooting while adding nine rebounds and two assists. Jamal Murray looked tentative in just his second start at point guard for the Nuggets this season, but it was the performance of Emmanuel Mudiay that was the real story for Denver in Miami. Mudiay left another of floaters and layups short, but nailed a number of them in crunch time, finishing with 4-9 shooting from the field and 9-10 shooting from the free throw line. Also, he notably only turned the ball over twice. Once while stepping on the end line on a drive through the lane and once on a late drive to the hoop that was one of a number of drives that would have likely drawn foul calls on any other night.
“I had no doubts that he was going to play well tonight,” said head coach Michael Malone regarding Mudiay. “He made big plays for us, both offensively and defensively … we don’t win the game without Emmanuel Mudiay tonight.”
The Nuggets got off to a fast start in the first quarter with both Gallinari and Murray hitting their first three-point attempts, and eventually opening up a double-digit lead nine minutes into the game thanks in large part to Nikola Jokic’s 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. The Miami Heat decided to open with Luke Babbit guarding Jokic and he took advantage, getting off to his usual stat-stuffing start. Goran Dragic helped keep the Heat keep pace with 12 first quarter points, but Denver held onto a 37-30 edge in the opening period.
Miami came out in the second quarter with plenty of energy, quickly cutting the Nuggets lead to 43-39 until Emmanuel Mudiay started to get comfortable. Mudiay finished the first half with nine points, hitting all seven of his free throw attempts and most importantly, five beautiful assists and just one turnover. Mudiay’s 14 first half minutes were the most he had played in a game since Jameer Nelson‘s only other missed game of the season, March 1st in Milwaukee. Wilson Chandler’s 13 first half points also helped the Nuggets take a double-digit lead into halftime at 68-58.
The Heat quickly closed the gap, pulling to within five points on a Rodney McGruder 3-pointer just four minutes into the second half. McGruder then got Miami as close as 77-75 with a lay in just a few minutes later. The Nuggets responded down the stretch, however, with some nice drives and dishes by Emmanuel Mudiay, fancy work in the paint by Nikola Jokic and a couple great stops on the defensive end by Mason Plumlee to go into the final period with a 93-87 lead.
Miami scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter, taking a 94-93 lead on a Josh Richardson three-pointer just a few minutes into the period, and it was back and forth the rest of the way as the Heat countered every Denver score with another shot from deep. The Nuggets were able to defend the three-point line when it mattered most, however, as Jamal Murray’s challenge of Josh Richardson’s last second shot was just enough to get the Nuggets back on the winning track and keep Denver in the running for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Footnotes
Both the Nuggets and Heat were fighting for their playoff lives tonight as Miami entered the game tied with two other teams for the final two spots in the Eastern Conference and the hot Charlotte Hornets lurking just a game behind.
The Nuggets win gets them back to two games behind the Portland Trailblazers, who will be playing the rest of the regular season without former Nugget Jusuf Nurkic. Both teams have six games left to play.
What’s Next?
The Nuggets head to New Orleans Tuesday night to take on the Pelicans on the front end of a road back-to-back set.
