The first seeding game didn’t go as planned for the Denver Nuggets.
Down three starters in Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Will Barton III, Denver fought hard in the first half against the Miami Heat but struggled mightily in the second half, ultimately falling 125-105.
Once again, turnovers and 3-point defense plagued Denver (43-23), as 19 turnovers led to 35 points for the Heat, while Miami connected on 44.8 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc. While Nikola Jokiu0107 (19 points, seven rebounds and six assists) and Jerami Grant (19 points on 7-of-14 shooting) had solid performances in the loss, others struggled to find a rhythm against a tough Miami defense.