The first half was a strong showing for both the Nuggets and Heat, in a close battle. All the Heat needed to do was to hang on long enough and kill the Nuggets without their stars. Denver led by 1 at halftime, however, Miami embarrassed the Nuggets in the 3rd quarter to lead 94-79 heading into the fourth. Jokic opened the game enthusiastically since the games matter now. The Joker had finally returned to directing the Nuggets offense. In the first half, the Nuggets looked like their old selves but their issue was the enemy– Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler.

The Heat began their rout in the 3rd due to sloppy perimeter D by the Nuggets, letting Duncan Robinson, Kelly Olynyk, and Tyler Herro all shoot lights out. Olynyk dropped 20 in the 4th and shot around 60% from the field. The Heat shot 45% from behind the arc and overall 56% field goal. Torrey Craig, a Nuggets guard, described the defense in 3 words “It’s still unacceptable” Even though the Nuggets were playing through injuries Craig stated, “If you’re out there, you have to play your best and you’ve got to compete. You don’t make any excuses, no matter how many guys you have.”  Denver Coach Micheal Malone, said “I thought we had possessions tonight where I saw a lot of guys out there not playing hard. Whether you have guys out with injuries or with coronavirus, that’s unacceptable. If you turn the ball over and you walk down the floor because you’re feeling sorry for yourself, that does not sit well with me. I like guys that play hard.” Clearly Malone wasn’t happy the way his guys performed and will try to teach his guys a lesson from this.

The Heat made statements on and off the court. Butler appeared without a name or social message on his jersey. The NBPA forced him to change into his normal jersey prior to the game. Butler then jokingly said after the game “I didn’t have my name on the back of the jersey, but I decided to change because my teammates probably needed me a little bit,” Meyers Leonard made a bold statement during the anthem and stood by his kneeling teammates with a BLM shirt. Later that day making an Instagram post stating “ Today, I listened to my heart. I felt an overwhelming amount of emotion as I stood there during the National Anthem. My brother, and many close friends have sworn to protect this country at all costs, and that means something to me, as does the flag and our nation. The Black Lives Matter movement also means a hell of a lot to me. What has been and continues to go on in our country is inexcusable and flat out wrong. I will continue to use my voice, my platform and my family’s resources to commit to helping make a change…..” 

The Miami Heat ended up taking this game in a rout against the Nuggets 125-105. The next game for the Heat will be a tough one facing the defending champs on Monday.