Top news: Miami gets back to basics in win over Nuggets

ByNBAUSA


MIAMI – With The Miami Heat show the formula for success in last Saturday’s win over the Indiana Pacers, the momentum continued Monday night as the team defeated the Denver Nuggets 147-123 to win its third straight game. As it is The heat begged to improve after losing eight of its last nine games before a three-game winning streak, Monday’s outing further proved that the team’s style of play can win key games.

Playing at a fast pace through their free-flowing offensive system, Miami scored 147 points, the most points scored this season. It is also the seventh time this season that the Heat have scored at least 140 goals, as entering the year the team had done so only eight times in franchise history.

To return Bam Adebayowho recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds, c “the proof is in the pudding.”

“Obviously, when we play with pace, play rebounds, defend and stop, we can score 147, and you see, everybody feels involved,” Adebayo said.

Miami was firing on all cylinders with 41 points in the first quarter, and even with the activity level on defense, Denver kept it going, led by superstar Nikola Jokic. However, Jokic would suffer a worrisome knee injury near the end of the first half and not return, which would lead to the home team taking control, starting 26-9 early in the third quarter.

“There will be ebbs and flows throughout the season, but we are becoming more consistent with the identity…just felt more recognizable, and the more consistent we are with that, the level of activity on the defensive end,” Spoelstra said.

“And the slower we play, I think the more average we get,” Spoelstra continued. “It has to feel different when you’re actually playing against it, and that takes mental and physical energy and commitment every night, which we’re fully capable of.”

On Monday, Miami also posted its best single-game offensive rating of the season, which included 144.1 points per 100 possessions.

Norman Powell about what he ‘likes’ about heat

Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) drives to the basket against Denver Nuggets guards Bruce Brown (11) and Peyton Watson (8) during the third quarter at Cassia Center.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

While the victory on Monday is for Heat served as an excellent example Depending on the type of team they are, it also helps that how the lineup manages to generate shots is a key aspect of their production. It also helps that Miami made 53.5 percent of its shots and also hit 22 three-pointers, but the starters, and especially the bench, led by Jaime Jaques Jr. and Nikola Jovic, were equally electric.

The Heat were led by another outstanding performance from Norman Powell, who scored 25 points with four assists. While he shouted out Jaquez, who had 20 points and a career-high 11 assists, and Jovic with his 22 points, he would say that the previous slump was part of the usual “screams and falls” that an NBA team is going through.

“It’s a long season, 82 games. I’ve been in this for 11 years,” Powell said. “You know, every team I’ve been on goes through that, we’re just fighting, fighting, we’ve got some injuries, we’re trying to figure it out, in some close battles … that’s part of the season.

“I love this team the way we have a bonded mentality, we’re trying to figure it out, we’re going through tough times together, we’re talking, we’re communicating, we’re just trying to get back on track and get these wins,” Powell continued. “And I think we’ve figured that out. And just the style of play and the mentality and the approach that we have to have on a nightly basis, we can’t get bored with the process and going out there and competing every night.”

Either way, Miami now enters 2026 on a three-game winning streak at 18-15 as the team gets a two-day break before Thursday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.





2025-12-30 05:57:00

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