NBA Finals: Jokic, Murray Double Miami's Trouble Entering Important Game 4

Record performances by Denver's Big 2 put the Nuggets back ahead in the series, but is it enough to hold back the Heat?

Game 3 of the NBA Finals was defined by a pair of dominant performances by the Denver Nuggets’ duo of superstars: Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.

In the Nuggets’ 109-94 victory the pair made NBA history, becoming the first pair of teammates to have 30-point triple doubles in any league game, regular season or playoffs.

History edged more towards Denver’s side as a whole after Game 3. With the win and the 2-1 edge the Nuggets have they are on the right side of historical Finals development - the previous 40 teams who have broken 1-1 ties in the Finals have won their series 32 times. It should be noted, though, that three instances of Game 3 winners losing series have occurred within the last 10 years (2013, 2015, 2022).

The Heat don’t need to know that last bit of history, its likely they have no reverence for any established stats that are on their side or not. Miami is always a team that considers itself fighting against the world and fighting against NBA convention, so a one game deficit in the biggest series of their lives won’t likely mean much.

That said, the Nuggets will do themselves a lot of favors by jumping back down the throats of the host team tonight in order to control of the series and go up 3-1.

Meanwhile, expect the Heat to scratch and claw in the unique way they can in order to tie this series, but more is going to be expected of this team if they are going to regain any control against a Denver team that looks to be just as confident as they are on top of being deeper and more talented.

Turning Point

Game 3 was taken over by the Nuggets in the third quarter. Already leading by five coming out of halftime, Denver put up 29 points in the third to increase their lead to as many as 19 and essentially put the game away.

Seemingly every shot the road squad attempted was going in and it took the Heat’s crowd out slowly but surely. Miami showed fight and cut the deficit to 10 with a minute left in the fourth, but it was too little, too late. 

Staining the Nuggets’ overall pristine offensive performance was a spotty team-wide effort from 3-point range (5-of-18), but they made up for it by dominating the Heat in the paint with a 60-to-34 point advantage. Coming into the Finals, the Nuggets roster as a whole had a great size advantage and Wednesday they yielded it completely with the low-post scoring and a dominant 55-to-33 advantage in rebounds. Also key in their effort was the unsung hero that emerged in the second half.

Braun-y Man

Rookie Christian Braun was a big spark plug off the bench and flipped the game’s script with his energy on both sides of the floor. In 19 minutes of action, Braun went 7-of-8 from the field, scoring 15 crucial points. Not many people outside of University of Kansas basketball lovers knew his name during this season, a lot more will by the end of this series.

Jokic was extremely complimentary of Braun in his post-game interview speaking to his aggressive mindset.

“He has a great future in this league,” Jokic said. Keep an eye on Braun as the series continues. 

Heat Turned Down

Seemingly nothing went well for the Heat in Game 3, in spite of Jimmy Butler’s 28 points and another impressive performance from Bam Adebayo (20 points and 17 rebounds). But those performances didn’t have the same impact next to a major disappearance of teammate Gabe Vincent, who’s on-ball mastery had done so much to get the Heat to this point.

In 32 minutes of playing time, Vincent inexplicably went 2-for-10 from the field including 1-for-6 shooting from 3-point range. Vincent ended with only had 7 points, quite a drop off from the previous game. In Game 2, the upcoming free agent was the leading scorer for the Heat with 23 points including 8-for-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Expect Vincent to be better in Game 4, if he doesn’t step up, Miami has no chance. 

Defensively, it’s impossible for anyone on the Heat to stop Jokic, they’re just too undersized. Even if Miami throws a double team at him, he can pick a defense apart with his ability to get assists and be a facilitator. There’s no excuse for having Murray pick you apart, however. Miami can at least throw bodies at him, they have to do everything possible and get the ball out of his hands. If the likes of Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are making shots, so be it. 

After the game, Butler called out his team for a lack of effort.  I don’t blame him, but at the same time, tip your cap to the opponent for being a better team from the beginning. Will the Heat find a way to bounce back in a must-win game? 

Game 4 is tonight (8:30 ET/7:30 CT) on ABC. Will we see more of the same dominance from the Nuggets or will the Heat find a way to even the series at 2-2? 

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