2023-06-08 04:00:34
The Denver Nuggets brought calm back to the Rockies with a resounding Game 3 win over the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center on Wednesday night. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray became the first duo ever to post 30 point triple-doubles in the same game as the Nuggets cruised to a 109-94 win to take a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals.
Murray comes out firing
After losing Game 2 in Denver Nikola Jokic was unsettlingly calm in his postgame interview saying “sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.” The tranquil nature of his response should come as no surprise. We have seen how he plays the game, and on Wednesday night in Miami he brought that calm back to the fans in Colorado with a historic performance as the Nuggets took home court advantage back in the series.
Two things that came out of the game in Denver on Sunday were Jamal Murray’s slow start, going for 0 points in the first quarter, and Jokic’s inability to distribute the ball like we are so accustomed to seeing. Those were things that the Nuggets addressed immediately out of the gate as Murray scored 8 points in the first five minutes and Jokic had 14, 12 and 7 assists by halftime.
The first half went back and forth as Jimmy Butler showed up in the opening part of the game for the first time in this series. He had 10 in the first quarter as both teams traded shares of the lead and the largest lead either team had following the first half was 5.
Denver’s defense locked down in 2nd half
Miami was struggling to shoot the ball as Denver defense stepped up following Nuggets coach Mike Malone questioned his teams desire and effort in the Game 2 loss. The Heat turned the ball over just once in the first half, but shot under 40% as Jamal Murray led the Nugs with 20 points at the break.
Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler kept the Heat in the game as Bam had another big night going for 22 and 17 rebounds, much of that coming in the first half. In the second half the Heat’s inside-out combo went cold as Miami scored just 20 points in the third and Jokic and Christian Braun stretched the Nuggets lead to 21 points.
Braun had 15 points off the bench, nine in the second half and is now one win closer to winning the NCAA title and the NBA title in back-to-back years. Braun’s energy off the bench and the Denver defense was enough keep a double-digit cushion for the rest of the game.
Jokic shrugs off Finals record
Jokic and Murray continued to pour it on in the fourth quarter, as both of them registered triple-doubles on nights in which they both scored 30+ points. Murray led all scorers with 34, 10 and 10 while Jokic posted his 10th postseason triple-double, going for 32, 21 and 11 becoming the first player in the history of the league to get 30, 20 and 10 in an NBA Finals game.
When sideline reporter Lisa Salters asked Jokic regarding what it means to stand alone in the NBA history books, he very candidly told her “not much.” He is a superstar that is much more focused on winning than individual accolades and now he will shift his focus on taking Game 4 in Miami on Friday night.
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