A late fourth-quarter rally from the Miami Heat propelled the Eastern Conference champions to a 111-108 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena on Sunday night.
On the back of a 104-93 opening defeat in Colorado, Erik Spoelstra's side levelled the series with a last-gasp scoring rush, facing an eight-point deficit entering the fourth quarter but posting a game-high 36 to restore parity.
Three different Heat players ended the contest with more than 20 points to their name, with Gabe Vincent (23) topping the charts as Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler both ended the night on 21 points.
Substitute Duncan Robinson also had a significant impact off the bench, as the 29-year-old scored 10 of the Heat's 36 points in the fourth quarter, while Kevin Love made 10 rebounds.
Fresh from becoming just the second NBA Finals debutant to hit a triple-double in their maiden game, Nikola Jokic enjoyed another productive night on an individual level with 41 points and 11 rebounds, but Nuggets head coach Michael Malone blasted his side's perceived lack of effort after the defeat.
"This is the NBA Finals. We are talking about effort. That's a huge concern of mine. We had guys out there that were just, whether feeling sorry for themselves for not making shots or thinking they can just turn it on or off," Malone told a press conference.
"This is not the preseason, this is not the regular season. This is the NBA Finals. That, to me, is really, really perplexing, disappointing."
Game 3 of the NBA playoffs sees the Nuggets take to the road to face the Heat at Kaseya Center on Wednesday night.
Ben Knapton
