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Friday, Jan. 14 9:00pm ET
Heat win eighth straight over Nuggets | |||||
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
DENVER (AP) -- The Zo and Vo show was a hit, especially in crunch time. Alonzo Mourning scored 28 points and Voshon Lenard came off the bench to score 24, fueling a fourth-quarter rally that gave the Miami Heat a 92-87 win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. The Heat, extending their winning streak over Denver to eight games, came back from a seven-point deficit midway through the fourth period. Lenard scored 14 points and Mourning 11 in the final period as Miami outscored Denver 19-7 over the last 6:33. "I guess when we get down, we get desperate," Mourning said. "When we get up, we get complacent. We haven't been playing with a sense of urgency. This is something we have to stop. "Guys made plays down the stretch and made shots tonight. Vo can shoot. All you have to do is get him open." Mourning added 13 rebounds and six blocked shots. "It all began with our defense," Lenard said. "We kept ourselves close and gave ourselves a chance. I made the shots when I had to make them. Whatever I could contribute -- rebound, defend or shoot -- that is what I was trying to do." Heat coach Pat Riley said his tired team was "running on fumes" until Lenard "made two big 3s for us. Then we executed extremely well to get Zo a jump hook." Antonio McDyess had 26 points and 15 rebounds for Denver, which played without injured point guard Nick Van Exel. The Nuggets, absorbing their third straight loss, dropped below .500 for the first time since Dec. 14. "Down the stretch they executed and we didn't," Denver coach Dan Issel said. "It is as simple as that. "A great example of our problem was when Lenard gets the 3-pointer. They run a play, they set a screen and knock our guy off him and he gets a wide-open 3-point shot. We run a play, we have guys running away from the basketball. Our guys don't want it at crunch time." Cory Alexander's 3-point basket and George McCloud's two free throws gave Denver an 80-73 lead with 6:44 remaining. But Lenard promptly hit a 17-foot jumper and a 3-pointer, triggering an 8-0 run as Miami took the lead for the first time since the opening quarter. Two free throws by McDyess put Denver ahead 85-82. But Mourning, playing with five fouls over the last five minutes, countered with a basket and Lenard made another 3-pointer with 1:09 left. Mourning's two free throws made it 89-85 with 55 seconds to go. On five straight possessions in the final two minutes, Denver missed two shots and had three turnovers, including a shot-clock violation. McDyess and Ron Mercer each had eight points in the first quarter as Denver, which outshot Miami 57 percent to 40 percent, took a 32-20 lead. Scoring 13 fastbreak points in the quarter compared to Miami's none, the Nuggets used a 17-4 run to open up a 25-14 lead. Keon Clark sank a 73-foot shot from the opposite free-throw line at the buzzer. Lenard's pair of 3-pointers early in the second quarter helped the Heat close the gap. A slam by Mourning, who had 11 points in the period, cut the deficit to 44-41 with 4:27 left in the period, but the Nuggets padded the lead to 53-47 at intermission. After a defensive third quarter that saw neither team shoot better than 32 percent, Denver carried a 69-62 lead into the final period. Game notesVan Exel did not suit up because of a strained right groin. ... Heat guard Tim Hardaway missed his 24th straight game with a jammed right knee. ... Denver's last win over Miami came on March 3, 1995. ... It was the third game on a four-game road trip for the Heat. ... Miami now is 7-1 on the second night of back-to-back games. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Miami Clubhouse Denver Clubhouse RECAPS Philadelphia 102 Orlando 100
Miami 92
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