"Competitor of all competitors.": Bam Adebayo receives praise from Miami Heat coach for holding Nikola Jokic to 12 points

The Miami Heat pulled out an impressive defensive performance against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. The only trouble was that Denver's defense was even superior on its way to a 100-88 road victory over the Miami Heat.

After the game, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised the team's defense, particularly one man. He loved how Bam Adebayo disturbed Nikola Kokic throughout the match, limiting him to 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

Spoelstra praised not only Adebayo’s defense but also his spirit. He made the case that the Heat center should be considered for Defensive Player of the Year due to his effort on the defensive end.

“No one will go toe-to-toe, minute-for-minute with Jokic, other than Bam. Bam signs up for that and will put himself out there and be vulnerable to the competition. That’s the competitor of all competitors,” Spoelstra said. “That’s why Bam is Bam.”

Spoelstra knows how hard a task it is to defend Jokic. The defensive assignment comes with a laundry list of responsibilities.

Jokic must be defended tightly from the top of the key to the post, preventing him from scoring and cutting off his passing opportunities. It's important to execute a perfect pick-and-roll defense against him and to be aware of the dangerous two-man play between Jokic and Jamal Murray.

Denver Nuggets outlast Miami Heat in Finals rematch

Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat managed to hold Jokic to 12 points on just eight shots. However, he had 14 rebounds and six assists in the 100-88 win.

Denver used a suffocating fourth quarter to ice the game, outscoring Miami 28-17 in the final period. Denver shot 48.8 percent from the field and hit just 11-of-33 from 3-point range. The issue was that the Heat hit just 5-of-21 from downtown and 42.5 percent of their shots.

Miami was down one entering the fourth but the Nuggets put them away with a quick run to open the period. Spoelstra knows runs like these are why Denver is the defending champion.

“You feel like you have a handle on them and then all of a sudden they just separate. They do that better than anyone else in the league,” Spoelstra said.

Michael Porter Jr. killed the Heat all night. He led the way for Denver with 25 points. He drained 5-of-9 from deep to spur the Denver offense. Aaron Gordon added 16 points.

Denver moved into first place in the West with the win. They are 10-1 since the All-Star break.

Adebayo led the Heat in the losing effort with 17 points and 13 rebounds. He shot 7-of-15 from the field.