, Will Barton (knee) and Gary Harris (hip). Murray ranks second on the team with 18.8 points per game.Denver also did not get a full training camp because of coronavirus cases on the team.''It's still unacceptable,'' Nuggets guard Torrey Craig said. ''If you're out there, you have to play your best and you've got to compete. You don't make any excuses, no matter how many guys you have.'' Heat center Meyers Leonard stood during the national anthem, saying it was out of respect for the U. S. military, while all the coaches and players around him kneeled. His brother, Bailey Leonard, served two tours in Afghanistan with the Marines. Leonard wore a Black Lives Matter T-shirt over a jersey that said ''Equality.'' Denver led 57-56 at halftime, but Miami outscored the Nuggets 38-22 in the third quarter to lead 94-79 heading into the fourth.Butler scored and was fouled on a layup with just under 10 minutes remaining, and his free throw put the Heat up by 20.''I thought we had possessions tonight where I saw a lot of guys out there not playing hard,'' Denver coach Michael Malone said. ''Whether you have guys out with injuries or with coronavirus, that's unacceptable. If you turn the ball over and you walk down the floor because you're feeling sorry for yourself, that does not sit well with me. I like guys that play hard.'' TIP-INSHeat: Olynyk joined Dwyane Wade as the only players in Heat history to score at least 20 points in a fourth quarter. Olynyk shot 0 for 2 from the field in the first three quarters, then made 7 of 9 field goals and all four of his 3-pointers in the fourth. ... F Jae Crowder made his second start of the season.Nuggets: The 1 p.m. Eastern start time -- 11 a.m. in Denver -- was the Nuggets' second earliest of the season. They had a 12:30 p.m. start at Detroit on Feb. 2, which was Super Bowl Sunday. ... Made just 8 of 35 3-pointers.BOL BOLBol Bol, who had some excellent moments in Denver's scrimmages at Disney, made his official NBA debut. The 7-foot-2 center finished with five points and five rebounds in 11 minutes. He scored his first NBA basket in the second quarter. Because he hasn't played much, he will be eligible for Rookie of the Year next season.WHAT'S IN A NAME?Butler unsuccessfully lobbied the NBA for permission to wear no name or social justice message on his jersey. He stepped onto the court in a jersey with only the No. 22 on the back but had to change into one with his last name on it before the game could start. The NBA and NBPA worked to allow social messaging but never discussed blank jerseys.''I didn't have my name on the back of the jersey, but I decided to change because my teammates probably needed me a little bit,'' Butler said.UP NEXTHeat: Play the Toronto Raptors on Monday.Nuggets: Play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.--More NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Jul 31, 2020The venue is different, the arena is empty and instead of preparing for next season, teams are finishing up the 2019-20 campaign.Regardless, the goal remains the same for the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets, who restart their respective campaigns against each other on Saturday afternoon at the ESPN Wide World of Sports campus near Orlando.Both teams have eight games remaining in this run up to the postseason, where positioning means less than first-round matchups because the idea of home-court advantage is moot in the bubble.The Heat (41-24) can climb as high as the second seed in the Eastern Conference or drop to sixth depending on how these eight games go, but the most important thing is they're playing meaningful basketball again."Our guys are competitors. They love this," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They're really enjoying this environment, having an opportunity to feel normal and get in between those four lines and compete. We're excited about our team. We've had three really good weeks of practice, guys are ready." One thing Miami isn't worrying about is using the eight games to find itself in a favorable matchup. The Heat will play the games and then worry about the playoff matchup at the end, Spoelstra said."I don't even need to explain it, we're not going to lose games or play differently to try to line up an opponent. That's just not our language," Spoelstra said. "We're not just going to go to [Disney] and waste each other's times. We're there for a reason. Competition, like I said, brings out a different quality out of this group, individually and collectively. We'll treat those games with great respect." The Nuggets (43-22) enter Saturday's play in third place in the Western Conference. Denver has had to gradually bring players into the fold because of the pandemic -- star Nikola Jokic was diagnosed with COVID-19 when he was home in Serbia -- and coach Michael Malone and his staff have been dealing with some nagging injuries among the players on the roster.With a tight schedule ahead, health, as usual, will play a part in determining the title."Whatever team wins an NBA championship this year has to be very fortunate and lucky with the health of their roster," Malone said.One advantage Denver has is its deep roster. Led by Jokic and guard Jamal Murray, the Nuggets had 11 players log time in 41 or more games this season. Six are averaging in double figures in scoring.The most talked about Denver player during exhibition play in the bubble has yet to play an NBA game, however.Bol Bol, the 7-foot-2 son of former NBA player Manute Bol, was a second-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after playing just nine games with the University of Oregon. Left foot surgery limited his career and was a reason he dropped in the draft.The 20-year-old showed his potential by recording 16 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks in an 89-82 win against the Washington Wizards on July 22. He also had 15 points and three rebounds in a 119-104 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans last Saturday.He gives Denver yet another unique talent to use."I've been working really hard, especially since I got here in the bubble," Bol told reporters after the first exhibition game. "I was just trying not to be nervous, and then everything would just come to me." --Field Level Media
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