NBA: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets hold off Heat in Miami
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Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (left) shoots the basketball over Miami Heat center Orlando Robinson on Feb 13.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MIAMI – Nikola Jokic narrowly missed out on his 21st triple double of the National Basketball Association (NBA) season as the Denver Nuggets battled to a 112-108 road victory over the Miami Heat on Monday.
The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists at the Miami-Dade Arena as Denver stretched their lead at the top of the Western Conference to five games.
The Nuggets – who improved to 40-18, ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies (34-22) – trailed by nine points after a shaky first quarter but roared back in the second to outscore Miami 38-26 for a 65-62 lead at the break.
The Nuggets held on to the advantage for most of the second half and, although Miami got within three points in the final minute, Denver clinged on for victory.
While Jokic led the scoring, the team’s balanced offence spread the points around, with seven players finishing in double figures and sharing 34 assists among them.
“We like to play for each other,” Jokic said.
“We try to find open guys and we’re just going to work for the best shot possible. The team buys into that and that’s why we have so many assists.”
Jimmy Butler led Miami’s scorers with 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, while Max Strus had 23 points.
“He’s a great player. He makes everybody around him better,” Strus said of Jokic.
“They stepped up and made shots. Tough team to beat. Obviously, they’re No. 1 in the West for a reason.”
In other games, Donovan Mitchell erupted for 41 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers bagged their seventh straight win with a gritty 117-109 home victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Mitchell’s sixth 40-point game of the season helped the Cavs tighten their grip on fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland are now 38-22 for the season, leading fifth-place Brooklyn Nets (33-24), who were thumped 124-106 by the New York Knicks earlier on Monday.
“We didn’t play our best basketball, they made it tough on us. But, at the end of the day, we found a way to execute and that’s big time,” said Mitchell.
Cleveland will now look ahead to their final game before this weekend’s All-Star break, with a road clash against Eastern Conference rivals Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.
The Sixers (37-19) warmed up for their date with the Cavs with a 123-104 home blowout over the Houston Rockets.
James Harden led the Sixers scoring against his former club with 28 points and 10 assists, while Tyrese Maxey impressed with 26 points off the bench.
Elsewhere, a Los Angeles Lakers side missing LeBron James were swept aside 127-115 on the road by a rampant Portland Trail Blazers, led by another 40-point gem from Damian Lillard.
James, who is nursing a niggling foot injury, has not played since passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on Feb 8. AFP
