The Denver Nuggets took the Game 1 advantage behind Nikola Jokic’s heroic triple-double performance against the Miami Heat. Jokic finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists, with the Nuggets registering a 104-93 win. Doubts arises for the Nuggets as this is the first time they have come this far in the league. This first game has proved their doubters otherwise, dominating the Heat late in the game. Even before the start of the game, the Nuggets already found answer to a problem that they may encounter in the series. Thus, they were able to take the win for this important Game 1, and are now aiming to keep things going for them.
Denver Nuggets showed dominance
It is obvious that the Heat will definitely target Jokic with their zone defense. However, the Nuggets surprised everyone when they made Jokic their main playmaker. In fact, it was also a historic night for the Nuggets, as Jokic broke records in this Game 1 match. He became the first player to have a triple-double in his finals debut after Jason Kidd in 2002. Additionally, Jokic was able to surpass Bull Russell’s record, as the center with most assist.
In an interview, Jokic believes that they did a pretty good job holding the Heat to 93 points. “The first three rounds they won the first game. They travelled and played on the road, and we didn’t wanna have that happen. We did a good job to hold that team to 93 points,” he said. Aside from Jokic, Jamal Murray also shined for the Nuggets, finishing with 26 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds. Aaron Gordon’s hot start is also huge for the Nuggets, finishing with 16 points, and six rebounds.
Miami Heat needs to find ways
The Heat on the other hand is a completely different team coming into the Game 1 of the Finals. They are not the same from the team who won the Eastern Conference finals. It was the lack of rotation that gave the Heat the loss in this match. Additionally, it was only Bam Adebayo who scored more than 20 points for the Heat. Even Jimmy Butler was held in a 13-point shooting, having only six successful shots from their 14 shooting. Their coach believes that the Nuggets’ good first half and good rhythm made them win the Game 1.
The Heat will now aim to win their Game 2, while the Nuggets are looking to extend their series lead against the Heat. Game will kick-off on June 5, 2023, at 8:00 AM (GMT+8), with the Nuggets remaining to be the hosts.
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