2023 NBA Finals: Nikola Jokic's triple-double leads Denver Nuggets to Game 1 win vs Miami Heat
The two-time MVP has 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds in his Finals debut as Denver draws first blood with a 104-93 victory over Miami, remaining unbeaten at home this post-season.
Basketball
Nikola Jokic marked his NBA Finals debut with a triple double as the Denver Nuggets took Game 1 with a 104-93 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday (1 June).
The two-time league MVP had taken just five shots going into the fourth quarter but with finished with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Nuggets to their first-ever Finals victory.
Jokic became only the second player to record a triple-double in his Finals debut. The other is Jason Kidd who achieved the feat in 2002.
“Right now the most important thing is to win the game, and I’m trying to win a game in any possible way,” said Jokic, who averaged a triple-double in the Western Conference Finals sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I know I don’t need to score to affect the game and I think I did a good job today. Everybody contributed - (Aaron Gordon), Jamal (Murray), (Michael Porter Jr.), (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope), everybody who played contributed.
“It’s a great win for us.”
Miami Heat go cold
Murray backed up Jokic with 26 points and 10 assists while Porter Jr. had a double-double of his own with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
The Nuggets remain unbeaten at home during these play-offs.
Whether it was the altitude in Denver or the two days of rest they had since eliminating the Boston Celtics in seven games, the Heat were decimated by a poor shooting night.
The first eighth seed to appear in the Finals since the New York Knicks in 1999, Miami shot 37 per-cent in the first half when the Nuggets were 59 per-cent from the floor, and took just two free throws for the entire game - the fewest attempts ever by a team in a Finals game.
Max Strus went 0-for-10 including nine misses from behind the arc and Caleb Martin was 1-for-7.
Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 26 points and 13 boards. Eastern Conference Finals MVP Jimmy Butler added 13 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said his team will need to sustain the effort for all of 48 minutes and not just one half against a deep Denver team determined to capture the franchise's first-ever championship.
Game 2 is Sunday.
“Definitely we’re going to have to go to school on it,” Spoelstra said. “They were in pretty good rhythm, especially in that first half.
“Our disposition, multiple efforts, the resolve in the second half was much better but you get to this level, it has to be complete games.
“You don’t expect it to be easy when you get to this final round. This is a great challenge, it’s going to require more.”