The Miami Heat came away with a hard-fought 124-119 win over the Denver Nuggets on Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat improved to 39-28 with the win and also gained some ground in the Eastern Conference standings. The Charlotte Hornets who sit two spots back of Miami lost on Monday which gave Miami a little extra breathing room. The Heat are currently in fourth place in the East, but have not clinched anything.
It was a wild game for both teams as the lead changed hands all night long. Despite their records which mirrored one another coming in, the teams looked evenly matched. Denver put a scare into Miami with multiple times in what would have been a very difficult loss to take. The Heat would score the Nuggets by six in the fourth quarter, which was the largest margin of the game.
It was a team-win in all ways with seven different Miami players reaching double digits in the win. Justise Winslow led the team with 20 points despite coming off the bench, The rookie played big minutes again with 33 which nearly led the team.
One of the biggest moments of the night came with roughly four minutes to go. Josh Richardson turned a block into a three-pointer for Joe Johnson. The trey put the Heat up five just as Denver had inched towards taking the lead. Miami would use this sequence to help put the game away over the final minutes.
Hassan Whiteside picked up another double-double with 18 points and ten rebounds off the bench. The center did not reach double digits in boards until the final two minutes of play, and the big rebound helped Miami secure the victory.
The Heat will have a couple nights off to rest before continuing the home-stand on Thursday against the Hornets.
