Led by Jokic and Murray, the Nuggets defeated the Heat in Miami

Nikola Jokic, who recorded the first performance of 30 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in NBA history, and Jamal Murray, with 28 points, led the Denver Nuggets’ resounding 109-94 win at The Miami on Wednesday Heat with Michael Malone’s men taking a 2-1 lead in the Final.

In the first of two games at Miami’s Kaseya Center, the Nuggets recaptured the field advantage in the series by imposing their physical strength and grabbing 65 rebounds for the Heat’s 41. They are now two wins away from being lifted to the skies of the first title in their history in their debut in an NBA Finals.

Jokic finished the game with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists and Murray added another triple double of 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Nuggets. Never in NBA history have two teammates signed two triple-doubles in the Finals. He also highlighted the performance of rookie Christian Braun, who contributed fifteen points on seven of eight shots.

In the Heat, Jimmy Butler scored 28 points and Bam Adebayo recorded a double-double of 22 points and 17 rebounds. Caleb Martin was the third best scorer for Miami with ten points, which lacked a better group contribution.

The Heat finished with a modest 37% (34 of 92) shooting from the field, while the Nuggets, despite their 5 of 18 3-point shooting, were above 50% (41 of 80).

SHAKIRA AND NEYMAR AT THE FOOT OF THE FIELD… WAITING FOR MESSI

It was played in a bustling Kaseya Center, with stars such as footballer Neymar Junior, Heatglory Dwyane Wade, former Lakera player Magic Johnson and singer Shakira in the arena. All this while waiting for Lionel Messi, who announced his signing for Inter Miami this Wednesday. Exchanging heartfelt hugs with Wade and Neymar before kick-off, Butler quickly took center stage, scoring ten points in the first period.

The Heat came out to bite, but the Nuggets, with a great start from Murray (8 of Denver’s first 12 points) and with a Jokic almost double in 12 minutes (10 points and 7 rebounds), didn’t make it long to answer. Denver shot with better quality, above 50%, though without connecting any triples, but the Heat, led by Butler and with a great basket from Kyle Lowry, ended the first period tied at 24.

Spoelstra’s 1-3-1 defense and his intense pressing fueled the stands, who celebrated Caleb Martin’s two straight 3-pointers early in the second period (35-33) and a stellar steal by Lowry from Jokic as goals, with which he the floor. He did the same when Bam Adebayo made a great tap-in for Miami’s 44-42, but in each case, Jamal Murray dressed up as a bummer for the locals.

He silenced the atmosphere with twelve points and three-pointers of very high difficulty that not only kept the Nuggets in the spotlight but also prevented the Heat’s confidence from skyrocketing. The Nuggets took a five-point lead (53-48) into the locker room, but more than that margin, it was their offensive numbers and rebounds that reflected a problem for Miami.

THE JOKIC AND MURRAY FESTIVAL

Murray already had 20 points at halftime (8 of 13 shootings) and Jokic was already close to a triple double, with more assists midway through the game than in all of Ball Arena’s second game (14 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists).

And the bad signs turned to fire in the third quarter, as the Nuggets ramped up to a 6-0 run that gave them a double-digit lead for the first time all night. With twelve points from an unstoppable Jokic, seven from Gordon and six from Christian Braun coming off the bench, Malone’s team dealt a blow to the clash.

Braun’s powerful one-handed think of a bargain gave Denver the lead at 82-63 with 50 seconds left in the third quarter. Miami, with Butler leading the way, was able to cut it down to fourteen at the end of the period to give themselves a chance. But other than Butler’s 5-for-6, the Heat made just three field goals in those 12 minutes.

Trouble ensued in the fourth quarter, as the Nuggets went 11-4 in 3 1/2 minutes at Braun’s pace, giving them a 21-point lead at 93-72, forcing Spoelstra’s timeout and defeating ambitions of Heat’s comeback were thwarted.

The Nuggets continued their unquestionable rebounding dominance and Jokic, with his scoring festival, maintained a 16-point margin for the Nuggets with 3.24 to play.

The Heat, committed to the end, took advantage of a decreased concentration by the Nuggets to come within nine points with less than two minutes left, with Butler already on the bench. However, Miami, the team that had the most victories this year after trailing by more than ten points in the fourth quarter, was unable to perform another miracle.

The Nuggets got a resounding victory at the Kaseya Center and regained home field advantage in the series. They forced Spoelstra to pull the board again in an effort to contain his power and avoid another Game 4 loss, which would give Denver the match point in Colorado.