Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo lead Miami Heat past Denver Nuggets 125-105 in return to NBA regular season
The Miami Heat were represented by forward Jimmy Butler and center Bam Adebayo in February during NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago.
On Saturday, the Heat's top two players proved they were worthy of their selections. Adebayo and Butler each had 22 points to lead the Heat to a 125-105 victory against the Denver Nuggets Saturday in Orlando. It was the Heat's first regular season game of the NBA restart. The season had been suspended since March 11 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Heat improved to 42-24.
“We really locked in and got stops in the second half,” Butler said. “It always helps to make shots. But we started playing a lot harder in the second half.”
The performance was especially encouraging for Adebayo. He missed the first two weeks in the bubble after testing positive for coronavirus before the team traveled to Orlando. He only played in one of the team's three scrimmages. Adebayo shot 7 of 12 from the field and also had nine rebounds and six assists. Butler shot 6 of 11 and had seven assists and four rebounds.
Adebayo was one of three Heat players who have dealt with coronavirus. Derrick Jones Jr. and Kendrick Nunn also tested positive before the restart. Nunn, a rookie guard, finished with 11 points, two rebounds and two assists. A reserve, Jones had one point, two rebounds and an assist.
The Heat return to action Monday against the Toronto Raptors.
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