Taking an 83-75 lead heading into the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, it seemed likely that the Denver Nuggets would hold serve at home and head to Miami with a commanding 2-0 lead. The Miami Heat, though, didn’t let it happen.
Denver’s Jeff Green scored the first two points of the first quarter with a pair of free throws, but Miami took over from there, scoring the next 15 points. The Heat lead got to 107-95 with 3:39 left. At that point, though, the Nuggets staged a comeback of their own.
But Denver’s comeback, while valiant, ultimately fell just short when Jamal Murray’s game-tying three-point attempt missed.
The Miami Heat take Game 2 to even up the NBA Finals! 🏀🔥
Here are the final seconds, with Mike Breen on the call for ESPN on ABC. 🎙️📺 pic.twitter.com/4LH86in8yH
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 5, 2023
Miami controlled the game’s opening minutes and while the Nuggets generally got the better of the action late in the first quarter, the Heat still led 26-23 after one. But Denver dominated the early portion of the second quarter, something that seemed remarkable given that their superstar, Nikola Jokić, was on the bench. While there was still a lot of game to be played, it felt at the time that the Heat had lost their best chance at winning one of the first two games in Denver.
But Miami did enough to stay in and eventually, win the game.
Basketball fans praised the Heat for their continued ability to bounce back.
heat gave up a 40-14 run and still won
on the road
in the finals
as an 8 seed
wtf
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) June 5, 2023
MIAMI WINS GAME 2 🔥
The Heat tie the series at 1-1 pic.twitter.com/3Hlt9Pj8j6
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 5, 2023
The Miami Heat are one of the most resilient NBA teams in recent memory. They are never out of a game.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 5, 2023
Bucks fans Knicks fans Celtics fans watching Nuggets fans lose to the Heat the same exact way pic.twitter.com/NOmmYHLGUX
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) June 5, 2023
there’s nothing the heat seem to love more than walking into someone else’s house and yelling and flipping over furniture
i love them
— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) June 5, 2023
The Heat not only wrestled home court away from the Nuggets with the Game 2 win, but they also handed Denver its first loss at Ball Arena in the postseason.
The series will shift to Miami for the next two games, with Game 3 on Wednesday and Game 4 on Friday.
