Nikola Jokiu0107 picked up his third foul late in the second quarter. Gary Harris went down with an ankle injury right before the end of the first half. Then, shortly after the start of the third quarter, Paul Millsap collided head-on with Justise Winslow, forcing him to leave the game. In what was an early season test for the Denver Nuggets against a then 5-1 Miami Heat team, things weren’t looking good.
However, Denver’s third-quarter performance last night may have been exactly what the team needed to jump start their season. Although the Nuggets held a 10-point lead at the half, it was the third quarter that blew the game open and showcased its potential on both ends of the floor.