Jokic, Murray each post triple-doubles amid historic night in Nuggets' G3 win.
MIAMI -- During the two days before Game 3, head coach Michael Malone could sense the Denver Nuggets' Game 2 loss weighing heavily on Jamal Murray.On Wednesday, Murray and Nikola Jokic rebounded from their first NBA Finals loss by making history. In their best and most important game as teammates, Jokic and Murray became the first duo to record 30-point triple-doubles, helping Denver rout the Miami Heat 109-94 to take a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
Murray set the tone before finishing with 34 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Jokic delivered a stat line never seen before in NBA Finals history with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists. It was his eighth triple-double in his past 11 postseason games.
By far, their greatest performance as a duo in their seven years together," Malone said.
After hearing from Malone about the Nuggets' lack of effort and being shown over a dozen clips of their lack of discipline in defensive breakdowns after Game 2, Murray came out determined to make amends for the team's first postseason loss in Denver.
"The last shot felt good," Murray said of his missed 3 at the end of Game 2 that could have forced overtime. "It was more like throughout the game. I felt like I didn't bring the intensity that the moment called for.
"Even though I didn't play terrible, I felt like I could have done a lot more."
Murray hit eight of his first 13 shots and had 20 points in the first half.
Jokic helped break Game 3 open in the third with 12 points and six rebounds as Denver used a 29-15 run to build an 82-63 lead just before the end of the quarter.
"I think it speaks for itself, bro," Murray said of Jokic's stat line. "How many times does he have to do that for you guys to believe in his game or our game or whatever?
"Like, he's doing it, making it look so easy, good shooting, low turnovers, two blocked shots, got great hands, great communication in the pick-and-rolls, and I.Q. and all that. We're running out of things to say."
Coming into the postseason, Murray told ESPN he was determined to prove his performance in the 2020 playoffs inside the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida, wasn't his best. That postseason, he earned the moniker "Bubble Murray" by posting two 50-point games in the first round against Utah and helping the Nuggets overcome two consecutive 3-1 deficits to advance to the Western Conference finals.
But Murray had vowed that was only "the beginning," adding that he lives for these playoff moments, especially after missing the previous two postseasons due to a torn ACL in his left knee.
He is backing up his words.
"That's what champions do," Malone said of Murray rebounding in Game 3. "That's what warriors do. They battled back.
"I felt his presence all day long. Forget the stats for a second. I felt Jamal's presence, his energy, and he was here in the moment. For him and Nikola to do what they did tonight in a game that we needed to take, regain home-court advantage of the series, was special to watch."
Jokic and Murray had help. Rookie Christian Braun contributed a breakout game with 15 points, making seven of eight shots. Aaron Gordon collected 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. And the Nuggets shot 51.2% while holding Miami to 37% shooting and just 11-of-35 from behind the arc.
Afterward, Jokic didn't want to spend much time rating his performance or Murray's, especially with the Nuggets now two wins away from delivering the first NBA championship to Denver.
"I don't know if it's the best," Jokic said when asked if this was the greatest performance by the prolific duo. "I don't know.
"We're just trying to win a game right now. We can think about that later."
Heat's Tyler Herro not yet cleared to return from broken hand.
MIAMI -- Heat guard Tyler Herro still hasn't been cleared to play and has been ruled out of Game 4 of the NBA Finals as he continues to recover from a broken right hand.Coach Erik Spoelstra said after Thursday's workout that Herro is going through all the necessary steps, but he hasn't been able to clear the final hurdle with Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets scheduled for Friday night.
This is just part of the process," Spoelstra said. "You have to go through stages. First part of it was just shooting, then movement, then contact versus coaches, and then the next level of contact in practice. He has not been cleared for a game, and he is still not cleared yet."
The Heat trail the Nuggets 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Herro, who broke his hand during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 16, has been ramping up his workouts for more than a week.
"Obviously, he has been huge in what we have done all year long," Heat star Jimmy Butler said. "But I think his spirits are really high. He is doing everything that he can to come back and help. I don't know where he is in that process, but I see him working. I see him smiling. I see him being around the guys, which is good for him and even better for us.
"We want him out there competing with us. We always have. We always will. But whenever he is ready, he'll be back, and he will be better than ever."
Nuggets keep poise after Nikola Jokic's 5th foul, win Game 4.
MIAMI -- When Nikola Jokic was forced out of the game with his fifth foul with over nine minutes remaining in Game 4, the Denver Nuggets were staring at the most pivotal stretch they would ever play without their two-time MVP.Coach Michael Malone described the typical non-Jokic minutes for the Nuggets as "a crapshoot," putting his hands over his face and pretending to peek through his fingers to describe how precarious those moments have been this season.
But on Friday, the Nuggets turned what could have been the longest five-plus minutes of their season into one that put the franchise a victory away from its first NBA championship.
With Jokic watching for a five-minute, 15-second stretch, Jamal Murray orchestrated the Nuggets' offense. He stymied any double-teams that came his way, setting up teammates for key baskets as the Nuggets fended off every Miami Heat challenge to win 108-95, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
Murray has drawn so much attention for his scoring in the postseason. On Friday, he scored just 15 points on 5-for-17 shooting but had 12 assists with zero turnovers.
"This is four rounds now -- Minnesota, Phoenix, [the Lakers] and now Miami -- where our bench overall has done a really nice job. You know all season long, it was like oh, the non-Nikola minutes, kind of a crapshoot. You're watching the game like this sometimes," Malone said, shielding his eyes with his hands.
He added: "Our offense may not be as beautiful as it is with Nikola, but the five guys that are out there are defending, and that's the key to that group playing well."
Much of Game 4 was played at Miami's preferred pace. It was a low-scoring game, and then Jokic was forced to sit with 9:24 remaining. It was all Miami could have asked for in the fourth.
The Heat opened the final quarter with an 8-0 run to get within 86-81 with 8:42 to go. But with Jokic, who had 23 points and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes, watching, Murray buried a 3.
Then he hit Aaron Gordon, who had his best game of the Finals with 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists, for a layup inside. When Miami got within six, Murray found Jeff Green in the corner for a 3. Later, Murray assisted Bruce Brown -- who took advantage of Miami trying to slow down Murray with double-teams and scored 11 points in the fourth quarter -- for a driving layup.
By the time Malone put Jokic back in with 4:09 remaining, the Nuggets had a 96-87 lead. They went on to outscore Miami 12-4 to push their advantage to 17 with 1:21 remaining.
It's still one win," Jokic said, trying to keep his team focused. "We need to win one more. I like that we didn't relax. We didn't get comfortable. We were still desperate. We still want it. That's what makes me happy, that guys didn't relax."
In the regular season, the Nuggets were outscored by 367 points when Jokic was on the bench, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
But Murray, who has had 10 or more assists in each of his four Finals games, refused to let Denver wilt when Miami was at its most aggressive.
"He's going to find a way to impact the game," Malone said. "And the most impressive thing for me was he had 15 points tonight, and he was 5-of-17 from the field. But 12 assists and zero turnovers and just kind of, all right, they're putting two on me, let me make the right play. He did not get bored with making the right play. He did not say, 'I'm going to save us and try to carry the team.'
"He just read the defense, made the right play and trusted. That's a big part of our culture is trusting one another. I thought Jamal's trusting his teammates tonight was just at such a high level."
Jokic, who tweaked his ankle early in the game but kept playing, has repeatedly said the Nuggets are following Murray's lead this postseason.
"I think that's where you see the growth and maturity in his game," Jokic said of Murray's playmaking. "I think he was amazing today. Of course, some nights you miss, some nights you make. But he's our leader, and we are following him."
Now, the Nuggets head back to Denver, where they look to make up for their first home postseason loss in Game 2 to the Heat with a championship-clinching win in Game 5.
"We're just focused, dialed in and ready to do this thing," Murray said.
He added: "We're just ready to win a championship. We have the tools to do it. It's been on our minds for a while. We're just locked in. I don't think you've got to overthink it. We're just dialed in, ready to win."
| Monday, Jun 12, 2023 - NBA SERIES Basketball Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 08:30 PM | Heat Series Prices | +1800 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nuggets Series Prices | -8000 |
Props Monday Strus/Pope over 7.5 points. Everyone knows who will win, Denver 109-98. Butler fouled on 3 pointer with 5 seconds left and misses Free Throw
Row 400 SRO 2 tickets $361 each........ Vividseats...... Heat +300 Game 5 double or nothing. Refund on tickets if you lose pays or free game tickets if win.... Different kinda Hedge
