James Johnson, have a night! The Miami Heat played in one of their most high-scoring affairs in franchise history on Monday night. The power forward hung in there every step of the way.
The Heat ultimately defeated the Denver Nuggets on Monday, 149-141, in double overtime. In such a lengthy game, stat lines for individual players are bound to be a bit gaudy. Johnson led the charge the whole way for the victors, though, helping break the very stat system keeping track of his game in the process.
Johnson goes off
It took a career-high from Johnson to nab the victory.
He poured in a team-high 31 points to go with 11 rebounds and six assists on the night. He also caught fire from beyond the arc, hitting four of his six three-point shot attempts. With Goran Dragic struggling with his shot, Johnson filled the void. He saved his best for the extra periods, however, when the Heat needed him most.
James Johnson erupts in 2OT to lead the Heat past the Nuggets 149-141 pic.twitter.com/qkdT46SEXY
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) March 20, 2018
In the first overtime, it was the Johnson and Kelly Olynyk show. They combined to score all 13 of Miami's points during the first overtime period. The former added another five in the second overtime period, setting a franchise record for most individual points in an overtime period; he surpassed a record held by LeBron James in the process.
The power forward nailed seven of his eight shots in the extra periods, appearing re-energized despite the extra length of the contest.
Heat pull it off
Truth be told, this was the most evenly played game in the NBA this season. Prior to the second overtime period, no team outscored the other in a quarter by more than two points.
No two teams have combined to score more points in a single game this season. The fact that the Heat were able to make up a game in the standings without Dwyane Wade or Hassan Whiteside on the court was a big moment for the team.
The oddest part of the game, however, had nothing to do with the product on the court. During the first overtime period, the official scoring system at the arena crashed.
The malfunctions forced scorekeepers to come up with creative solutions to keep track of what was going on. Without them, Johnson's exploits may have never reached the public sphere.
With a win and Milwaukee's loss, the Heat jumped half a game over the Bucks for seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. The team is now on a two-game winning streak. They'll look to extend it on Wednesday evening, when they host the rival New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET.
