Third-quarter burst lifts Nuggets past Heat as Denver ends three-game slide

Coming off a three-game losing streak and with the All-Star break less than a week away, Michael Malone knew the importance of tonight’s matchup against the Heat.

“Our sense of urgency has to be at a season high tonight, having lost three games in a row,” Malone said an hour and a half before tip.

But it wasn’t the start Denver’s coach was hoping for. The Nuggets turned the ball over on their first two possessions of the game, which led to Malone burning his first timeout just 47 seconds into regulation. For the rest of the first half Denver kept that same energy, but in the third quarter, the Nuggets finally woke up.

A 16-0 run Nuggets run in the middle of the third quarter expanded Denver’s five-point halftime lead to 18. The Heat battled back to trim the Nuggets’ advantage to 13 points entering the fourth, but eventually, Miami, which was coming off a close fourth-quarter loss to the Warriors on Sunday in Golden State, ran out of gas. Denver won going away 103-87.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 23 points and 12 rebounds but was a bit erratic finishing with seven turnovers. Mason Plumlee, who provided Denver with a defensive punch in the second half, tallied 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Malik Beasley continued his hot shooting from three, contributing 20 points while converting on four of his six long-range attempts.

The Nuggets held the Heat to just 38 second-half points. Denver, who came into tonight’s matchup as the best fourth-quarter defense in the league, also limited Miami to only 17 points in the fourth.

Monte Morris added 17 points on 7-11 shooting to go with seven assists and zero turnovers off Denver’s bench.

The Nuggets host the Kings Wednesday in their last game before the All-Star break.