National Basketball Association
Denver 103, Miami 97
When: 10:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 29, 2024
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Officials: # Sha'Rae Mitchell, #34 Kevin Cutler, #16 David Guthrie
Attendance: 19634

Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets withstood a late rally by the visiting Miami Heat to win 103-97 on Thursday in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals.

Miami used a 14-5 run to pull within 99-95 with 52.5 seconds remaining, and Jimmy Butler scored with 10.7 seconds left to make it a two-point game. Nikola Jokic then made two foul shots and the Nuggets held on for their fifth straight win after forcing a turnover on Miami's next possession.

The Nuggets snapped the Heat's five-game winning streak despite playing without guard Jamal Murray for the entire second half. Murray exited the game late in the second quarter with a right ankle sprain.

Jokic finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, ending his run of four consecutive triple-doubles. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also scored 18 points and Aaron Gordon finished with 16 points and nine rebounds for Denver, which never trailed.

Bam Adebayo led Miami with 22 points and eight boards. Butler added 21 points, Terry Rozier had 19, Caleb Martin scored 13, and Duncan Robinson chipped in 12. Miami shot 7 of 26 (26.9 percent) from 3-point range.

Denver started hot and led 36-20 at the end of the first quarter after shooting 56 percent from the field and 6-for-9 from 3-point range.

The Nuggets were unable to maintain the early pace and saw Miami cut the deficit to 56-51 entering halftime. Porter had 18 points in the first half for Denver, which shot just 5-for-21 (23.8 percent) in the second quarter.

Miami pulled within 65-63 after Adebayo scored with 6:27 left in the third quarter, but the Nuggets held an 83-70 advantage at the end of the period after closing on an 18-7 run.

Both teams shot under 43 percent in their first matchup since Denver posted a 4-1 series victory in last season's NBA Finals.

Miami played without forward Kevin Love (right heel bruise) and guard Tyler Herro, who missed his third straight game due to left knee hyperextension.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Miami   Denver
Bam Adebayo 22 Scoring Michael Porter Jr. 30
Jaime Jaquez Jr. 5 Assists Nikola Jokic 7
Caleb Martin 9 Rebounds Nikola Jokic 11
Bam Adebayo 6 Free Throws Made Aaron Gordon 6
Duncan Robinson 3 Steals Aaron Gordon 3
Caleb Martin 1 Blocks Nikola Jokic 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Miami 97 42.2 7-26 20-24 21 45 1 10 15
Denver 103 42.9 12-34 19-21 22 41 8 10 15
Upcoming Games
  • Denver will play their next game on the road against L.A. Lakers. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .683 after a win and .684 after a loss.
  • Miami will play their next game at home against Utah. The Heat have a W/L % of .576 after a win and .538 after a loss.