MIAMI — One by one, the Nuggets' players laced their double digit-sized, triple-figure designer kicks, escaping this locker room, this arena, this feeling.


The Nuggets had just lost 119-116 in a heartbreaker to the Heat. Brewer had committed a foul on Ray Allen, who was shooting a 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds left. Worse, Allen hit the 3. The ensuing free throw gave Miami a three-point lead, and a Danilo Gallinari missed 3 finally put a cap on this bubbling night.

"This would have salvaged the trip," said Denver coach George Karl, whose team lost all three games on its season-opening road trip. "This doesn't feel good."

Heat star LeBron James looks for an opening past Nuggets forwards Kenneth Faried, left, and Danilo Gallinari during Saturday&#8217;s game in Miami. The
Heat star LeBron James looks for an opening past Nuggets forwards Kenneth Faried, left, and Danilo Gallinari during Saturday's game in Miami. The Heat won 119-116 as Denver remained winless for the season (0-3). (Wilfredo Lee, The Associated Press)

But here's the thing: Denver's offense was pretty awesome. This shouldn't necessarily be a head-in-the-palm game, especially because it was against the Heat in Miami. But the Nuggets are a prideful team, and so they flew back to Denver engulfed in frustration, but packed a little momentum in the gym bag, heading into their home opener Tuesday.

Consider this: The Nuggets scored 72 points in the paint (last season, they averaged 53.4). They shot 51.6 percent from the field, exceptional considering that from 3-point range, holy moly, they were 5-for-21 (23.8 percent). And basically every player got involved offensively. Well, everyone except the dude who took the last shot.

Gallinari is playing through pain. His sprained left ankle continues to bother him, and Denver's starting small forward finished an are-you-kidding-me 3-for-17 from the field. But Karl still trusts Gallo, one of his top talents. So after the Allen four-point play, Karl's play was to get Gallo the ball.

"We wanted Gallo to have the ball at the top. We felt his size would get us a release if we couldn't find someone open on the sides," the coach said.

But his release point seemed off, and his body was off balance. And so, the Nuggets couldn't pull off what would have been an impressive win, considering it was the second game of a back-to-back set, that Chris Bosh scored 40 points (the most in his Heat career) and that LeBron James, who made the pass to Allen, was one rebound shy of a triple-double.



Faried even guarded LeBron on the final few possessions.

"I'm not afraid of anybody," Faried said. "I respect him, but I don't fear anybody. it doesn't matter who I'm guarding, I'm going to put my best foot forward. But he did a fantastic assist to Ray Allen, who was able to do what he do."

Nuggets Recap

What you might have missed: Coach George Karl often plays 10 or 11 players, but Saturday, the coach went with only three off the bench. ... With 0.2 seconds left in the third quarter, Denver's Andre Miller made a tough layup while being fouled (he made the free throw). ... In the first half, Denver already had 42 points in the paint, while shooting 56.3 percent from the field.

Final thought: Winnable game, one they'll remember.

Up next: Vs. Detroit, Tuesday, 7 p.m.