Heat, Nuggets crash the stats in wild double-OT thriller

MIAMI - They broke the stat system.

That's how good Miami and Denver were on Monday night, when even modern technology couldn't keep up with the Heat and Nuggets.

For 48 minutes, they went end to end. And one overtime couldn't decide it, either.

Finally, after three hours, the Heat stepped up.

James Johnson scored a career-high 31 points and Kelly Olynyk added 30 off the bench as Miami set a franchise single-game scoring record by topping the Nuggets 149-141 in double overtime.

"There didn't deserve to be a loser," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Guys probably really enjoyed playing in a game like this."

His guys did, anyway. Olynyk became the second reserve in Heat history to score 30. Wayne Ellington had a career-high 29 points, and the Heat made 20 3-pointers - second-most in franchise history.

All that comes with a serious disclaimer.

There was no official box-score after the game, because the system crashed in the first overtime and crews were scrambling to determine official numbers long after the final buzzer.

What mattered most was the score - one that moved Miami (38-33) into seventh in the Eastern Conference and left the Nuggets two games back of the last Western Conference spot.

"They just executed," Nuggets forward Paul Millsap said.

"They got some, I think, fluke plays and a little luck and they're at home. Momentum shifted a little bit."