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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
MIAMI (AP) -- Alonzo Mourning kept his composure when he picked up his fifth foul with 10:10 remaining. He never picked up his
sixth.
"We tried to get Zo to foul out, but give him credit, he played
smart down the stretch," Antonio McDyess of Denver said after
Mourning led the Heat to their 11th straight home victory Friday
night with a 96-88 victory over the Nuggets.
Mourning finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked
shots.
The Heat have defeated the Nuggets nine straight games and
haven't lost to Denver since a 100-98 loss on March 3, 1995, at
McNichols Arena.
Keon Clark scored 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting and McDyess had
19 for the Nuggets, who have lost four in a row and six of seven.
Heat coach Pat Riley was thankfuul his center didn't foul out,
but reserved his praise.
"Zo has got to be a little smarter prior to that," Riley said.
"I talked to the players in the timeout and told them they have to
adjust. ... I thought Zo made the adjustment at the end."
P.J. Brown, who scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half,
scored four points during an 11-2 run that gave the Heat a 90-81
lead with 6:26 left.
Clark's dunk and James Posey's free throw drew Denver within
five, but Jamal Mashburn, who scored 23 points, responded with a
3-pointer to give Miami a 96-88 lead with 2:36 remaining.
"We didn't rotate like we should have to Mashburn when he hit
that 3-pointer," Nuggets coach Dan Issel said. "We have to keep
going and learning and hope that we can do away with those
lapses."
Earlier, Denver's 27-10 run, capped by Clark's dunk and ensuing
free throw tied the score 77-77 with 10:10 remaining.
With Mourning out with foul trouble, Clark's 12 third-quarter
points keyed a Nuggets spurt that cut Miami's 17-point lead to
70-65 heading into the fourth quarter.
"I've been trying my best to stay out of foul trouble, it's a
mental thing," Mourning said. "Sometimes the refs call the game
differently. Denver made a little run but we played well down the
stretch and made the right decisions."
Nick Van Exel, who averages just under 16 points, was held to
three points on 1-of-11 shooting but had 13 assists. Denver was
17-of-29 from the free throw line and 1-of-9 from 3-point range.
"Zo is a man," Van Exel said. "He plays the game the way it's
supposed to be played. Every minute of every game he plays as if
it's a seventh game of a playoff series."
Mourning hit four free throws and Mark Strickland dunked off an
alley-oop pass from Tim Hardaway to key an 8-3 run that gave Miami
a 55-46 lead at halftime.
Mourning scored 23 points and had five blocked shots in the
first half, while McDyess kept Denver close with 15 points.
Game notes
The Heat activated forward-center Otis Thorpe and placed
center Duane Causwell on the injured list with a sprained right
thumb. Thorpe missed the last seven games with a sore knee. ...
Heat forward Clarence Weatherspoon, who has three double-doubles in
his past five games, sat out with a bone contusion of the right
knee sustained in practice Thursday. Mark Strickland, playing many
of Weatherspoon's minutes, scored 13 to tie a season high. ...
Denver swingman Tariq Abdul-Wahad missed his third straight game
with a sprained left wrist. ... Miami's longest home winning streak
is 12 straight, achieved during the 1992-93 season. ... Denver
leads the league in blocked shots, but Miami finished with nine to
the Nuggets' none. ... In a quirky coincidence, Heat Bruce Bowen is
no relation to Denver forward Ryan Bowen, but Bruce's brother, also
named Ryan Bowen, used to pitch for the Florida Marlins. ... Denver
has lost four straight on the road and is 6-23 this season away
from home. ... Clark's 28 points were one shy of his career high,
established March 3 against Golden State.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Denver Clubhouse
Miami Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 104
Chicago 74
New York 82
Philadelphia 77
San Antonio 106
Washington 99
Indiana 95
Cleveland 92
Miami 96
Denver 88
Detroit 111
Vancouver 97
New Jersey 108
Milwaukee 80
Utah 99
Phoenix 96
Seattle 99
Golden State 85
Charlotte 118
LA Clippers 101
Sacramento 103
Toronto 88
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