After losing Game 1, the Miami Heat looked to bounce back against the Denver Nuggets in Game 2. Miami jumped off to a 10-2 start in the opening minutes of Game 2. The three-pointers were falling for Miami this time around after missing a lot of them in Game 1. Denver then responded with a huge run in the second period and led by as many as 15 points. However, Miami continued to push back and trimmed the lead to single digits. In the fourth quarter, they took the lead and never looked back. With the win, Miami ties the series 1-1. Here are my takeaways from Sunday’s win over Denver.
Game 2 Adjustments
In order to steal Game 2, Miami needed to make adjustments from Game 1. Denver’s size gave Miami plenty of problems in the first game. So, what did Miami do? They started Kevin Love and moved Caleb Martin to the bench. The move paid dividends on both ends. Love’s positional defense, passing, and shooting worked out well in the starting unit. Additionally, Miami made adjustments on the defensive end as well. They limited their doubles on Nikola Jokic and denied the cuts to the basket. Jokic still dominated the game in scoring but Miami made sure to limit the other guys. And that’s exactly what happened. Jokic finished the night with 41 points and four assists. Denver is 0-3 this postseason when Jokic scores 40 plus points.
Gabe And Strus set the Tone
The Heat’s two-tone setters in Game 2 were Gabe Vincent and Max Strus. After shooting 0-10 in Game 1, Strus came into Game 2 ready. He knocked down his first three-pointer in the opening minutes of the game. We all saw how open the looks were in Game 1. The problem was they didn’t make the Nuggets pay. But in Game 2, Strus did it time and time again in the first period. As for Vincent, it was another solid performance from the Heat guard. Vincent did a great job maneuvering the pick and roll action. The patience he showed in the pick and roll has been quite the improvement. He was able to get to his spots without rushing his shots. Overall, the Heat’s two upcoming free agents took advantage of the open opportunities. It was a solid performance from those two.
Robinson to the Rescue
Miami entered the fourth quarter trailing by eight points. Jimmy Butler started the quarter on the bench. Miami needed more offensive from other players. And who did they turn to? Duncan Robinson. Robinson knocked down a three-pointer that cut the deficit to five. Then he went back door for the and-one layup. And next came a long three-pointer that cut the lead to two points. Robinson’s play in the fourth quarter completely changed the momentum in Miami’s direction. Time after time Robinson was making good plays for Miami. And to think he wasn’t in the rotation this season. Credit to him for staying ready. Robinson finished with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from downtown.
Cody Zeller……..
If there wasn’t a case made to cut Cody Zeller’s minutes before, there should be one now. His minutes have been bad since the Boston Celtics series. The moment Bam Adebayo sits on the bench, the momentum completely changes in the other team’s favor. Defensively, he’s a liability on that end. He’s not a shot blocker and he often struggle in other areas on that end as well. I get there needs to be another player to throw at Jokic. However, Zeller’s minutes are costing the Heat momentum. It may be time to go back to Love as the backup five. We’ll see if that changes in Game 3.
Next Up: Game 3 on Wednesday. Game tips off at 8:30pm eastern.
