It was a night of frustration for the Miami Heat when they visited the Denver Nuggets. Jimmy Butler only played 6 minutes before suffering a sprain that kept him out of the game. Shorthanded, Vice City couldn’t contain the Nuggets’ returning two-man duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. The tandem combined for 58 points to sink the Heat. And the fans did their part to get on the nerves of Miami’s Bam Adebayo.

In the final moments of the game when Denver virtually took control, the defensive expert’s conversation with a courtside fan was caught on the mic. It wasn’t pleasant by any means. Their interaction lasted for a few seconds while Jamal Murray performed his free throw routine. “What did you say,” Adebayo said confronting the fan.

The referee at one point had to intervene, asking Bam Adebayo to cool down. While the Heat center did show self-restraint, he made sure to send a chilling warning to the heckler in front of him. “I’ll slap the s**t out of you though,” the infuriated Heat anchor responded to the courtside fan at Ball Arena.

The 27-year-old had a difficult night tackling the physicality of Nikola Jokic. Shooting 7 for 18 from the field, Adebayo’s 20 points weren’t enough in the Heat’s valiant attempt to vanquish the Nuggets in their home. But it wasn’t because Miami’s offense waned. The Nuggets just made all the right decisions.

Apart from boiling Adebayo, Denver Nuggets’offense too much for the Heat!

Tasked with getting by without Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat put on a commendable offensive clinic. They shot 46% from three and nearly made half of their field goal attempts. Furthermore, they forced six more turnovers from the Nuggets. Normally, this would be sufficient to barrage through most of the teams in the league. Denver just couldn’t miss.

All of the Nuggets starters scored over 15 points in their 13-point victory over the Miami Heat. Four of them scored over 20. After a monstrous triple-double against the Thunder, Nikola Jokic managed to repeat the performance. Supplying Denver with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists, the Joker weaved the entire offense to operate seamlessly.

Murray, who made his return after being in the NBA’s concussion protocol had arguably his best game in months. Breaking through the chains of struggle, he scored a season-high 28 points, including four threes in his showcase. Moving to the bench, Russell Westbrook kept the tempo going in the minutes without Jokic, adding 10 assists with only 2 turnovers.

The Heat’s Tyler Herro did score 24, and Duncan Robinson’s splashy shooting gave Vice City some moments in the game. However, fighting through a 26-point deficit with the opposition as precise is a task that will most likely end in disappointment. Also, Adebayo needs to keep a cool head ahead.