Gabe Vincent helps Heat beat Nuggets, level NBA Finals at 1-1

Vincent scored 23 while Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler contributed 21 each to overpower Nikola Jokic’s 41 points and hand the Nuggets their first playoffs loss at home.

Gabe Vincent hit eight of his 12 shots and led Miami Heat to a close win against Denver Nuggets. | Photo Credit: AFP

Gabe Vincent scored 23 points to help the visiting Miami Heat record a 111-108 victory over Denver Nuggets on Sunday night, levelling the NBA Finals at one win apiece.

Vincent made eight of 12 shot attempts from the floor – including 4 of 6 from three-point range — as the Heat outscored the Nuggets by a 36-25 margin in the fourth quarter.

Bam Adebayo collected 21 points and nine rebounds and Jimmy Butler added 21 points and nine assists for Miami, which hosts Game 3 of the best-of-seven series on Wednesday.

Denver’s Nikola Jokic recorded 41 points and 11 rebounds and Jamal Murray added 18 points and 10 assists. Murray, however, saw his three-point attempt with 1.9 seconds remaining hit the iron.

Aaron Gordon scored 12 points and Bruce Brown added 11 off the bench for the Nuggets, who fell to 9-1 at home in the playoffs.

Denver held an 83-75 lead through three quarters before Miami erupted for a 32-12 run over the first eight-plus minutes of the fourth. Duncan Robinson made a pair of treys and two layups and Butler converted a three-point play and 3-pointer to highlight the surge.

Murray drained two three-pointers and Gordon also connected from beyond the arc to cut the Heat’s lead to 109-106 with 1:09 to play. Adebayo answered by making a pair of free throws and Jokic responded with a short jumper before Murray misfired on his game-tying attempt.

Kyle Lowry’s 3-pointer trimmed the Nuggets’ lead to 77-75 with 2:08 left in the third quarter before Jokic scored the final six points of the period.

Butler drained a floating jumper to stake Miami to a 21-10 lead and Max Strus answered a modest Denver run with his fourth 3-pointer to push his team’s advantage to 24-15 late in the first quarter. The Nuggets responded by scoring 35 of the game’s next 46 points, capped by Brown’s short jumper with 5:02 remaining in the first half.

Denver led 57-51 at the break.