Report: Heat to Start Kevin Love over Caleb Martin for NBA Finals Game 2 vs. Nuggets

Ahead of Sunday night's NBA Finals Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets, the Miami Heat are going back to the starting lineup they've utilized throughout most of the playoffs.

NBA TV's Jared Greenberg reports the Heat plan to start veteran Kevin Love at power forward over Caleb Martin, who started in the Game 1 loss.

Love has started 14 out of his 16 playoff appearances for Miami, but he didn't see action in Thursday's series opener at Ball Arena. While the former NBA champion is not the dominant power forward he once was, Love provides the Heat with some much-needed size against the Denver frontcourt trio of Nikola Jokić, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon.

While Game 1's 104-93 loss doesn't look that bad on the surface, the game wasn't as close as the final score indicates. Miami trailed by as much as 24 and struggled to contain Denver's relentless attack of the rim, as the Nuggets shot 50.6 percent from the field and had five players score in double figures.

Jokić dropped another triple-double with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, while Jamal Murray added 26 points and 10 assists. Gordon scored 12 of his 16 points in the first quarter, and Porter recorded 14 points and a team-high 13 rebounds.

Love's presence in the starting lineup should help Miami defend the rim better. The Heat are also hopeful that coming off the bench will help Martin return to form after scoring just three points in Game 1 following a 26-point performance in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.