NBA finals Game 2: Miami Heat v Denver Nuggets – live | NBA finals

Heat 29-39 Nuggets, 9:01, 2nd quarter

Christian Braun with a corner three! Denver’s lead is into double digits just like that!

Heat 29-36 Nuggets, 9:57, 2nd quarter

There’s a chance we might have a Jeff Green Podium Game which is a long-time NBA postseason tradition.

Back from the timeout, Brown intercepts a bad Adebayo pass and Murray makes his first three-pointer of the game. The boat is starting to get leaky.

Heat 29-33 Nuggets, 10:12, 2nd quarter

Kyle Lowry hits a three for the Heat. So much for the Denver lead.

Nevermind, Brown hits a three-pointer and then Green hits a three-pointer. Ball Arena gets loud and Spoelstra is forced to call yet another timeout.

Heat 26-27 Nuggets, 11:04, 2nd quarter

Haywood Highsmith fouls old man Jeff Green when he’s trying to score, he makes both of his free throws and the Nuggets now have a lead after all that hard work from the Heat.

Heat 26-25 Nuggets, 11:17, 2nd quarter

Jamal Murray, who has not scored yet, instead dishes out an assist to Braun who cuts the Heat lead down one.

Again, bad news for the Heat because Murray is going to score eventually.

Heat 26-23 Nuggets, 12:00, 2nd quarter

Bam Adebayo is back on the court at the start of the second quarter and clearly the Miami defense needs him.

That is very ominous for Miami, they emptied out the tank in the first quarter while the Nuggets just methodically cut the lead down to three without really seeming to try. Which is just WHAT THEY DO. Just one of the most frustrating teams in recent NBA history, they are the Borg. They are just inevitable.

Heat 26-23 Nuggets, end of the 1st quarter

Jokić scores again and it’s just a five-point game even though it feels like the Heat should have a larger lead.

And there it is, Christian Braun makes a layup and it’s just a one-possession game at the end of the first quarter.

Heat 26-19 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 1:48

Duncan Robinson Jr comes in for Strus and is immediately called for a foul. Jokić makes a mid-ranger but Miami’s Cody Zeller, just in the game, responds with a basket of his own.

Oh, all the role players are chipping in on both sides, Denver’s Bruce Brown scores close to the basket, Denver hangs in.

Heat 24-15 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 3:01

ARE YOU SERIOUS? STRUS AGAIN! HOW? He’s 4-for-7 from long distance now.

Heat 21-15 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 3:39

Max Strus shaking off his horrid Game 1 has been the story of Game 1. Maybe he will be the X-factor of this series like I predicted before the finals began.

Meanwhile, Michael Porter Jr hits a three-pointer to a big-time cheer.

Heat 21-12 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 4:24

Jokić, who was basically a facilitator in Game 1 despite his points total, hits a jumper and Denver definitely needs that sort of offensive aggression from him in this situation.

At this, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra takes a timeout: he knows that the Nuggets can get on a roll in a blink and that it all starts with the Big Guy.

Heat 21-10 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 4:36

Butler gets his own rebound after a Caldwell-Pope block and makes another basket. The Heat have approached this first quarter like it’s an elimination game, which it kind of feels like it is.

Heat 19-10 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 5:13

Jokić hits the calmest three-pointer you’ve ever seen, true to form. Unfortunately for Denver, Strus responds with another. He’s 3-for-4. He clearly has put Game 1 in the back rearview mirror (which, again, you should not remove from your vehicle).

Heat 16-7 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 6:12

Jimmy Butler gets fouled and goes to the line, which he basically didn’t do at all in Game 1. He makes both free throws to extend the Heat lead. Adebayo adds to it with a jumper.

Heat 12-7 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 7:14

Bam Adebayo hits his first basket of the night in exchange, but Jokić finds Aaron Gordon for an alley-oop dunk!

Okay, this is more like it.

Heat 10-5 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 7:40

Out of the timeout, a backcourt violation and a turnover. Luckily for Denver, Miami can’t score on the turnover. But neither can Denver.

The two teams go back and forth without scoring. It looks like Michael Porter Jr scores but it’s wiped away on a charge call.

However, Miami can’t score again and now Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hits a three-pointer that gets the crowd fired up.

Heat 10-2 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 9:13

Miami’s Gabe Vincent hits a jumper, Nikola Jokić makes a layup to let the Denver crowd sit down… but Strus hits another three and wow that’s a very early Malone timeout. He does like how Denver is playing defense and wants to make sure this doesn’t get out of hand quickly.

Heat 5-0 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 10:00

Jimmy Butler finds Gabe Vincent for a basket and Miami gets the first two baskets of the game.

Heat 3-0 Nuggets, 1st quarter, 10:58

Miami’s Max Strus hits a three-pointer right away after going O-for on the line in Game 1.

Opening tip

This performance was like catnip for us NBA writers:

National Anthem

Harold Rapp III with a smooth jazz saxophone take on “The Star Spangled Banner.” Longtime readers will know that I have a huge soft spot for instrumental versions of the anthem (with an affinity for jazz) so this is an easy 7/10 for me. (I would have preferred something more free jazz-y, but maybe it’s not quite the right atmosphere for that.)

Unexpectedly, we have a Game 2 news dump via the Boston Celtics. It looks like Joe Mazzulla is getting some experienced veteran help with experience in Boston: Sam Cassell. A great fit!

I somehow forgot the greatest Jimmy Butler anecdote ever. You have a few minutes before Opening Tip, I strongly recommend reading this story (and also DO NOT DO THIS).

Tyler Herro is not playing in Game 2, but he’s already conjuring up some 90’s alt-rock memories with his getup.

Predictions

I have predicted the Nuggets in 6 which means… well they have to lose at least two games here. It feels like, to me, for the series to progress even that far, Miami has to win this Game 2. So, I’m guessing they manage a one or two-point victory on the back of a classic Playoff Jimmy performance where he puts up something ridiculous like 40+ points.

Am I at all confident about this? ABSOLUTELY NOT! If you think you predict a more likely outcome (and it might not be difficult in this situation) you can send your thoughts to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com or tweet @HunterFelt. Until then, legendary comedian Dana Carvey gave his in verse earlier today on Twitter (it does not quite go to the tune of “Choppin’ Broccoli”):

Miami Heat starting lineup

PG: Gabe Vincent

SG: Max Strus

SF: Jimmy Butler

PF: Kevin Love

C: Bam Adebayo

Again, the only change seems to be swapping Martin for Love. Love is 34 years old and not quite the All-Star he once was, but he’s still one of those veteran players who are always a threat to have a huge finals game. He is also the only player on either side with Beach Boys DNA.

Denver Nuggets starting lineup

PG: Jamal Murray

SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

SF: Michael Porter Jr

PF: Aaron Gordon

C: Nikola Jokić

Apparently, the Nuggets haven’t changed up the starting lineup from Game 1 and why would they, honestly?

Health news

There was some speculation that Tyler Herro would be available to play today for the Heat, but it looks like if he does play in this series it will be when it shifts to Miami. Meanwhile, the Heat did say that Caleb Martin will be available to play after missing practice yesterday with an illness, although Kevin Love will reportedly be starting in his absence.

It’s not the ideal situation but considering how little they got from Martin, maybe switching it up could end up paying dividends.

Preamble

Well, Game 1 ended up going pretty much exactly how the analysts assumed it would go. The well-rested Denver Nuggets crushed the Miami Heat 104-93, despite the fact that their coach thought they could play better. As Michael Malone pointed out, his team did let up a bit in the fourth quarter, making the final score seem more respectable for the Heat than it actually was while giving them some life heading into today’s Game 2.

No matter what, the Heat are going to have to play a lot better to win this game to avoid falling into a 0-2 hole (something which will probably determine how long this series lasts). Whether it was Denver’s defense or Miami simply regressing to the mean after their Eastern Conference playoffs run, the Heat’s offense sputtered for most of Game 1. Their star player Jimmy Butler scored just 13 points while Boston-killer Caleb Martin and Max Strus fell back to Earth, combined to go 1-for-17.

It sounds bad, but we’ve been counting out the Heat at our own peril all postseason long. Can they do it one more time against Denver’s Nikola Jokić, who is already putting up finals numbers that rival those of some of the game’s all-time greats? If he and Jamal Murray are in sync, it might not matter what adjustments the Heat make.

As always, we at the Guardian welcome your comments throughout this live blog. You can either send them via email to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com or tweet them to @HunterFelt, we’ll use them throughout the game. The way I look at it, the world is my color commentator.

It’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Opening tip is scheduled to start at 8:00 pm EST, but keep your eyes here as we will be back with opening lineups, predictions and other such things.

Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how the Nuggets went up 1-0 after the series opener:

Maybe it was the thin air. Perhaps it was fatigue in their 21st game since the end of the regular season. Or just an inevitable reversion towards normality for the postseason’s greatest overachievers.

Whatever it was, it was quickly clear that anyone tuning in to the first game of the NBA finals on Thursday in the hope of witnessing a stirring mountain tale starring a brave band of odds-defying underdogs should have switched off the game and streamed The Sound of Music instead.

The most flagrant cause of the wide margin of victory was the Miami Heat’s failure to rack up enough points from distance, especially from open looks early in the game.

You can read the full report below:

How to watch the NBA finals

Every game of the NBA finals will air in the US on broadcast TV (ABC), live stream (ESPN3) and on NBA League Pass. Additionally, Game 1 will be simulcast on ESPN+.

UK viewers can watch on Sky Sports or NBA League Pass. Australian viewers can stream on Kayo Sports via ESPN and additionally through NBA League Pass.

Best-of-seven series. All times EDT.

Thu 1 Jun Game 1: Heat 93-104 Nuggets. The outmatched Heat had no answer to Jokic and the Nuggets.

Sun 4 Jun Game 2: Heat at Nuggets, 8pm (ABC)

Wed 7 Jun Game 3: Nuggets at Heat, 8.30pm (ABC)

Fri 9 Jun Game 4: Nuggets at Heat, 8.30pm (ABC)

Mon 12 Jun Game 5: Heat at Nuggets, 8.30pm (ABC) *

Thu 15 Jun Game 6: Nuggets at Heat, 8.30pm (ABC) *

Sun 18 Jun Game 7: Heat at Nuggets, 8pm (ABC) *

* if necessary