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Nuggets 102, Heat 82
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
DENVER — Forward Wilson Chandler scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds, guard Arron Afflalo added 16 points, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 102-82 Wednesday night.
Center Chris Bosh scored 14 points and guard Dwyane Wade had 10 for the Heat, who lost for the fifth time in six games. It was Wade’s lowest point total since Nov. 1, when he had nine in a blowout win at Philadelphia.
Miami (10-12) is in the midst of eight of 10 games away from home. After starting the season 5-2 on the road, the Heat is 1-5 away from Miami, with the lone win coming in Phoenix on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Miami was victimized by playing the second game of a back-to-back at altitude. The Heat trailed by 12 early but rallied to tie it 48-48 at halftime on forward Luol Deng’s jumper at the buzzer.
The Nuggets (10-12) took control in the third. A steal by guard Ty Lawson led to a dunk for forward J.J. Hickson that gave Denver a 59-50 lead.
Lawson scored 10 points and handed out nine assists in just 30 minutes. He averaged nearly 43 minutes in the previous four games.
Denver center Timofey Mozgov’s dunk and three-point play made it 72-59, and rookie guard Erick Green finished the third quarter with a jumper and a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Nuggets a 79-62 lead.
The Nuggets led by as many as 27 in the fourth.
Denver forward Kenneth Faried finished with 13 points and eight rebounds after missing two games with a back injury.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Nuggets, who are hitting a tough stretch in their schedule. In the next nine days, they play the Houston Rockets twice and San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers once apiece.
NOTES: Nuggets F Danilo Gallinari did not play because of two bone bruises on his right knee. Gallinari played just 5:36 in Monday’s overtime loss at Toronto. … Miami F Josh McRoberts was out of the lineup because of a right knee contusion. McRoberts sustained the injury late in Tuesday’s win at Phoenix. … Denver was without backup PG Nate Robinson (back) and C JaVale McGee (left tibia). Robinson missed his three consecutive game, and McGee sat out his eighth in the past nine. … Miami C Chris Andersen missed his eighth straight game with a sprained right ankle that occurred Nov. 23 against Charlotte.
