CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Norman Powell scored 25 points and the Miami Heat pulled away in the second half to beat Denver 147-123 in a game where the Denver Nuggets saw superstar Nikola Jokic limp off the court with a knee injury.
The teams were tied at 63 at halftime, with Jokic getting injured about three seconds before intermission. Miami then scored 47 points in the third quarter to take complete control.
Nikola Jovic scored 22 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 20 and Bam Adebayo returned from a two-game absence to grab ten rebounds for the Heat, who had gone 1-15 in their last 16 games against Denver – the only win coming in a five-game loss to the Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals.
Denver had also won the last 11 regular-season meetings between the clubs and had not lost a game in Miami since 2018. But everything changed after the break, with Jokic remaining in the locker room areas to be evaluated.
Jokic still led the Nuggets in scoring with 21 points, along with eight assists and five rebounds. Jamal Murray scored 20 for Denver and Spencer Jones – who stepped on Jokic’s left foot on the play where the three-time MVP was injured – scored 16 for the Nuggets, as did Tim Hardaway Jr.
Jokic was alone under the basket and appeared to advance to help Denver’s Spencer Jones defend a drive by Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. as time was about to expire in the second quarter. As he stepped back, Jones stepped on Jokic’s left foot and the center’s knee appeared to buckle.
Jokic collapsed on the court, clutching his knee and writhing in pain.
The Heat surpassed the 140-point mark for the eighth time in calendar year 2025. Miami had had seven such games from its inception in 1988 through 2024, combined.
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