Miami turned 15-point deficit at halftime: 'Love to compete'

"Our guys love to compete. They love to go out there and show who they are in the moment of truth," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Miami's Gabe Vincent scored 23 points, teammates Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo both accounted for 21 points each. It was Miami's team effort that decided.

However, they could not measure up to Denver's star center Nikola Jokic who scored 41 points. Despite the giant's effort, Miami managed to rush past Denver in the fourth period, having been down by 15 points in the first half.

First home loss since March 30

It was Denver's first loss at home since March 30 and the coach inculcated seriousness for the next two games in South Beach.

"I mean, this is the NBA Finals and we're talking about the effort. That is a major concern for me. You probably thought I was just sloppy after the first game when I said we weren't playing well. We didn't play well. This is not the pre-season. This is not the regular season. This is the NBA Finals," Denver coach Michael Malone said.