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Western Conference Playoff Update | Miami Clutch

Normally when you score 141 points, you should win a basketball game.

The scenarios in which 141 points would not being enough points would be playing in an All-Star Game, playing against the Monstars, or playing in a double-overtime game.

Unfortunately for the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, their game indeed went into double-overtime as they fell 149-141 to the Miami Heat.

(You were hoping for the Monstars, I know.)

Miami’s dynamic duo of Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson combined for 61 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists, shooting 23-for-33 from the field and 8-for-12 from the 3-point line.

This is how you ice a game.

Nikola Jokic was unbelievable, again, finishing with 34 points and 14 rebounds to lead Denver, but it wasn’t enough.

The Nuggets have lost three of their last four and fell to 38-33, 10th in the West. The thought was that when Paul Millsap returned from his wrist injury, this team would excel to the middle of the Western Conference playoff hunt. That’s been quite the opposite.

Denver is 5-6 since Millsap’s return on Feb. 27.

This is good for the Wolves, as they’re now a full two games ahead of Denver.

Things don’t get any easier for the Nuggets. Five of their next games are on the road, four coming against playoff teams.

Spurs Stay Hot Against Weary Warriors

It turns out when a team is missing its top three players, a team is not as good as it would if the team had those top three players.

It also turns out that when you’re without your top four players, things get even worse.

Golden State was without Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson on Monday night against the Spurs. To add gasoline to the already burning trash bin, Draymond Green left midway through the second quarter with a ‘midsection issue’ which sounds like, well, you know.

This led the Warriors to playing Nick Young and Quinn Cook a combined 77 minutes.

The Spurs won 89-75 despite being down four going into the fourth quarter. The Warriors didn’t have their clutch players to take over in the fourth and when you don’t have your clutch players, who shoots the ball?

Shaun Livingston was 0-for-2 in the fourth. Young was 1-for-4. Andre Iguodala was 0-for-1. Cook was 0-for-2.

Zaza Pachulia was 0-for-0.

Before all of the Warriors’ injuries, this looked like a scheduled loss for San Antonio, which would have been good for a Wolves team that entered the night just a half game back. But the Spurs moved to 41-30, fifth in the West and a full game ahead of the Wolves.

The Spurs are back at it on Wednesday against the Wizards in San Antonio.