The Miami Heat used a fourth-quarter surge to stun the Denver Nuggets and take Game 2 of the NBA Finals 111-108.
Trailing by eight points entering the final quarter – and precariously close to going down two games to zero – Max Strus finally heated up and scored 14 points in the game’s final 12 minutes.
The Heat controlled the game early and held a double-digit lead in the first quarter. Denver rallied behind another epic performance by Nikola Jokic and led by as many as 15 points in the second half.
Jokic scored 41 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Gabe Vincent scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo each had 21 for the Heat.
“This is the finals,” Adebayo said. “We gutted one out.”
The series heads to Miami for a Wednesday night showdown.
“Our guys are competitors,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They love these kind of moments.”
