MIAMI (NBA.com exclusive) --  There might be something brewing in Miami. Led by a stingy defense and a diverse offense, the Heat defeated Denver, 96-88, on Friday at AmericanAirlines Arena, handing the Nuggets their first loss.

"We pulled out a great win against an undefeated team," Heat forward Quentin Richardson said. Actually, to say the Heat "pulled out" a win misrepresents what happened. The Heat (5-1) practically crushed Denver. The Nuggets' last lead was at 16-14, and Denver (5-1) never got within single digits in the second half. And it might have lost forward Kenyon Martin for an extended stretch with what is now being called a bruised left leg. He's scheduled to have a MRI on Friday. He won't play in Denver's game at Atlanta. The Nuggets will also be without swingman J.R. Smith, who will serve the final game of his seven-game suspension.

Defense was the key for the Heat. It entered the game second in opponents' field goal percentage at .407, and through three quarters that's what Denver was shooting, .407. It's a small wonder the Nuggets trailed, 78-56, entering the final period.

"Defensively, for most of the game I thought we were very active, even disruptive," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Miami was led by guard Dwyane Wade's low-key 22 points. He was one of five Heat players to score in double digits along with Richardson (13 points, nine rebounds), center Jermaine O'Neal (18 points, seven rebounds), guard Mario Chalmers (16 points) and forward Udonis Haslem, who registered his fourth double-double, all in a reserve role, with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Michael Beasley, who only played two minutes in the fourth quarter, finished with seven points (on 3-for-8 shooting) and three rebounds in 31 minutes.

Denver forward Carmelo Anthony, the league's leading scorer at 32 points per game, finished with 30 points, but he couldn't get the big buckets the Nuggets needed. And many of Denver's season-high 19 turnovers surfaced at inopportune times. Here's a snapshot from the middle of the game: Miami ended the first half on a 17-5 run and took a 50-38 lead into the locker room. That bulge quickly extended to 57-38 early in the third quarter.

At one point in the period, with the Heat holding a 58-42 lead, center Nene (11 points, eight rebounds) missed a two-foot shot. Anthony followed with a missed a layup in traffic, and then he failed to convert the tip-in. Chalmers made Denver pay with a sweet reverse layup for a 60-42 Miami lead before Anthony drove the lane and lost the ball out of bounds. Chalmers then hit a 3-pointer for a 63-42 lead before guard Chauncey Billups (six points, five turnovers) stopped the Nuggets' bleeding with a layup.

"Chalmers had a pretty classy game," Denver coach George Karl said. "He made the shots when they needed him to make the shot." But after Billup's bucket, Beasley hit a three-pointer for a 66-44 Miami lead. Then O'Neal blocked Anthony's attempted dunk. Denver guard Anthony Carter got the rebound but missed a 3-pointer. O'Neal then converted a layup on the other end for a 68-44 Heat lead. It was that kind of night for both teams.

Want more? On Denver's next possession forward Renaldo Balkman shot an airball. Nene grabbed the rebound but had the ball stripped by Richardson. O'Neal then hit a pair of free throws for a 69-44 lead.

You get the idea.

"Everybody made shots, from Jermaine O'Neal to D-Wade to Haslem," Anthony said. "Beasley hit a deep three. Chalmers hit a deep three. They just kept rolling."

Miami has only started 5-1 two other times _ the 1996-97 season and 1999-2000 season. It hopes to keep Friday's performance going. Denver hopes to leave its poor performance in South Florida.

"I think we all have to be disappointed on how we showed up, and I think we need to shake it off and go back (Friday at Atlanta)," Karl said.