Jokic gets hurt late in 1st half, Heat pull away from there to top Nuggets

MIAMI (AP) — Norman Powell scored 25 points and the Miami Heat pulled away in the second half to beat Denver 147-123 in a game where the Nuggets saw superstar Nikola Jokic limp off the court with a knee injury.

The teams were tied at 63 at halftime, with Jokic getting hurt with about three seconds left before the intermission. Miami then scored 47 third-quarter points to take full control.

Nikola Jovic scored 22 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 20 and Bam Adebayo returned from a two-game absence to grab 10 rebounds for the Heat, who had gone 1-15 in their last 16 games against Denver — the one win coming in five-game defeat to the Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals.

Denver had also won the last 11 regular-season matchups between the clubs and hadn't lost a game in Miami since 2018.

But everything changed after halftime, with Jokic remaining in the locker room areas for evaluation.

Jokic still led the Nuggets in scoring with 21 points, along with eight assists and five rebounds. Jamal Murray scored 20 for Denver and Spencer Jones — who stepped on Jokic's left foot on the play where the three-time MVP was injured — scored 16 for the Nuggets, as did Tim Hardaway Jr.

Jokic was alone under the basket and appeared to step forward to help Denver’s Spencer Jones defend a drive by Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. as time was about to expire in the second quarter. While backtracking, Jones stepped on Jokic’s left foot and it seemed the center’s knee buckled.

Jokic collapsed to the court, grabbing at the knee and writhing in pain.

The Heat topped the 140-point mark for the eighth time in the 2025 calendar year. Miami had seven such games from its inception in 1988 through 2024, combined.

Nuggets: At Toronto on Wednesday night.

Heat: At Detroit on Thursday night.

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Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) drives to the basket as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones (21) falls to the court as he goes for the ball against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) walks on the court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) goes to the basket as Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones, left, center, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) shoots over Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

A strengthening bomb cyclone barreled across the northern U.S. on Monday, unleashing severe winter weather in the Midwest as it took aim at the East Coast.

The storm brought blizzard conditions, treacherous travel and power outages to parts of the Plains and Great Lakes on Monday as sharply colder air, strong winds and a mix of snow, ice and rain swept through.

Forecasters said the storm intensified quickly enough to meet the criteria of a bomb cyclone, a system that strengthens rapidly as pressure drops. The sharp cold front left parts of the central U.S. waking up Monday to temperatures as much as 50 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius) colder than the day before.

All that wind and snow created “a pretty significant system for even this part of the country,” said Cody Snell, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center. Dangerous wind chills plunged as low as minus 30 F (minus 34 C) across parts of North Dakota and Minnesota.

The National Weather Service had warned of whiteout conditions beginning Sunday that could make travel impossible in some places.

In Iowa, blizzard conditions eased by Monday morning but high winds were still blowing fallen snow across roadways, keeping more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) of Interstate 35 closed. State troopers reported dozens of crashes during the storm, including one that killed a person.

Forecasters expect the storm to intensify, fueled by a sharp clash between frigid Canadian air and lingering warmth across the southern United States.

Nationwide, nearly 220,000 customers were without power Monday night, more than a third of them in Michigan, according to Poweroutage.us. Airports reported over 9,000 flight delays and 889 cancellations within, into or out of the United States.

Snow piled up quickly in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where as much as 2 feet (0.6 meters) fell in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologist Ryan Metzger said additional snow was expected in the coming days, although totals would be far lighter.

Waves on Lake Superior were expected to reach 20 feet (6 meters) Monday, sending all but one cargo ship into harbors for shelter, according to MarineTraffic.com. Weather forecasting on the lakes has improved greatly since the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975 after waves were predicted at up to 16 feet (5 meters).

The fierce winds on Lake Erie sent water surging toward the basin’s eastern end near Buffalo, New York, while lowering water on the western side in Michigan to expose normally submerged lakebed — even the wreck of a car and a snowmobile.

Kevin Aldrich, 33, a maintenance worker from Monroe, Michigan, said he has never seen the lake recede so much and was surprised on Monday to spot the remnants of old piers dating back to the 1830s. He posted photos on social media of wooden pilings sticking up several feet from the muck.

“Where those are at would typically be probably 12 feet (3.6 meters) deep,” he said. “We can usually drive our boat over them.”

On the New York side, the National Weather Service said lake levels had risen to just below 8 feet (2.4 meters), with the potential to reach 9 feet (2.7 meters) or more by late Monday, due to the strong southwest wind flow. The agency also predicted “significant lakeshore flooding” along the Lake Erie shoreline of Erie and Chautauqua counties as well as along the upper Niagara River.

Rain and a wintry mix fell farther east across parts of the Northeast. Freezing rain was reported in northern New York, with the threat extending into Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Forecasters warned the ice and wind could strain power lines and trees. More than 57,000 power outages were reported across upstate New York on Monday afternoon, utility officials said. Heavy lake-effect snow and possible whiteouts were forecast Tuesday for the northwestern part of the state, the National Weather Service said.

On the West Coast, the National Weather Service warned that moderate to strong Santa Ana winds were expected in parts of Southern California through Tuesday, raising concerns about downed trees in areas where soils have been saturated by recent storms. Two more storms were forecast later this week, with rain on New Year’s Day potentially soaking the Rose Parade in Pasadena for the first time in about two decades.

A weekend snowstorm hit Alaska’s northern panhandle with 15 to 40 inches (38 to 102 centimeters), according to the National Weather Service, keeping the region under a winter storm warning Monday as Juneau braced for up to 9 more inches (23 centimeters) and possible freezing rain. City facilities were closed and road crews piled snow into towering berms, while communities farther south faced flood watches from snowmelt and heavy rain.

And in central and eastern Illinois, the National Weather Service confirmed three tornadoes on Sunday, including an EF1 tornado with peak winds of 98 mph (158 kph) that damaged buildings and snapped power poles.

Associated Press writers Julie Walker in New York; Corey Williams in Detroit; Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut; and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed.

A car drives down a snowy main street in downtown Juneau, Alaska, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Neil Wakeman, a Luna Pier city council member, holds up a steering wheel as he and friends look over a car that is normally submerged in roughly eight feet of water, about 100 yards off the beach in Luna Pier, Mich., Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Andy Morrison/Detroit News via AP)

Chase Caruso, center, and his father, Peter Caruso, spread sand on their icy driveway during a freezing rainstorm, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Harrison, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Snow is cleared from a parking lot in Grandville, Mich. on Monday Dec. 29, 2025. (Joel Bissell /MLive.com via AP)

A woman walks protected under an umbrella during a sleet and freezing rain storm, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Jack, described as a mixed-breed mutt by his owner Shelley, keeps in stride on their afternoon walk in sleet and freezing rain, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

FILE - An American Airlines plane arrives at the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

People cross 7th street in the heavy snow on Sunday Dec. 28, 2025 in downtown Minneapolis. (Jerry Holt /Star Tribune via AP)

Devon Jordan, of Brainerd , helps a person start their car durning heavy snow fall on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 in downtown Minneapolis. (Jerry Holt /Star Tribune via AP)

Heavy snow falls along Nicollet Mall Sunday Dec.28, 2025 in Minneapolis. (Jerry Holt /Star Tribune via AP)