The Miami Heat (32-17) came back in the second half to beat the Denver Nuggets (15-25) 98-95 on Friday.
The Nuggets got out to a great start on Friday by recording two 31-point quarters in the first half to take a 16-point lead, but collapsed in the second half. The Heat outscored the Nuggets 52-33 in the second half in an impressive comeback win. The key for Miami was their stellar defense, as they held Denver to 41 percent shooting while recording 13 blocks. What's most impressive is that they got this win with no Dwyane Wade or Goran Dragic in the lineup.
Miami came into this game extremely shorthanded, but walked away with a huge road win. Hassan Whiteside was an absolute monster in this game, as he recorded his second triple-double of the season. He finished the game with 19 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocks in a spectacular game. Chris Bosh was efficient in this game as well, as he scored 24 points on just 13 shot attempts. The darkhorse hero was Beno Udrih though, as he collected 11 points and 11 assists while filing in for Dragic in the victory. On deck for Miami is an even tougher task, as they travel to Oklahoma City on Sunday to take on the Thunder.
Denver was coming off two of their biggest wins of the season and really should have had their third-straight here. The offense fell apart in the second half and all the momentum was in Miami's favor for the final 15 minutes of this game. Danilo Gallinari and Will Barton have been carrying this team all year long, but they combined for just 20 points and 12 rebounds while going 4-for-18 from the field. Darrell Arthur got a rare start in the absence of Jusuf Nurkic and had the best game for Denver, as he finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in the loss. Rookie Emmanuel Mudiay also had a nice game off the bench, as he scored 16 points. The Nuggets will continue their eight-game homestand on Sunday when they host the Indiana Pacers in their next fixture.
