impressive display of Nikola Jokic in Miami. The Balkan added 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assistsa statistic never seen in an NBA Finals, and Jamal Murray another triple double of 10-34-10 to command a solvent performance of the Nuggets before the Heat (109-94), who recovered from the unexpected defeat on Sunday at home.
His performance is unprecedented overall in the history of the nbasince no other duo had achieved a triple double with at least 30 points each in either the playoffs or the regular season.
The Heat of Jimmy Butler (28 points) and Bam Adebayo (22) could not find a way to stop the devastating duo and now they will try to equalize the tie in the fourth gameon Friday again in Miami.
the pupils of Erik Spölstra They hoped to capitalize on their victory on Sunday by taking advantage of the electric atmosphere of the Kaseya Centerwhere 19,000 passionate fans pushed them into the first Finals game in Miami since 2014.
The Heat, who in 2020 were runners-up in the Finals held behind closed doors in disneyworld (Orlando), they showed their faces in a competitive first half but in the second they were overwhelmed by some Nuggets masterfully led by Jokic.
The Serbian center, who already has the record for triple doubles in a playoffs with 10is the first player to accumulate at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in Finals history.
“To be honest, (that brand) I do not care much. I’m glad I won a match. It was important for us because they won on our pitch, so we didn’t want to go 2-1 down,” said the double winner of the award. MVP.
“Now we have to win the next one, that’s our mentality. Win the next one and that’s how we’re going to continue on a roll,” said Jokic, launched to give Denver the first ring of the franchise.
Wednesday’s game was played on a day that was doubly special for the city of Miami, as it not only hosted its first NBA Finals game in almost a decade, but during the day it celebrated the confirmation of the signing of Lionel Messi by Inter Miami soccer league (MLS).
the brazilian neymarformer teammate of the Argentine star at FC Barcelona and at Paris Saint-Germainwas one of the celebrities who went to the Kaseya Center and in the afternoon he was shooting some shots with his friend Jimmy Butler.
The French footballer did not miss the appointment either Paul Pogba (Juventus) or music stars like Shakira either J Cole.
The Heat started the game with the same strategy of preventing Jokic from being the Nuggets’ bandleader. Trying to isolate the center, Miami made it easy for Murray to attack his rim aggressively, adding 8 of his team’s first 12 points.
the duo Jokic-Murray He had little support from his attacking teammates and the Serbian took center stage in a fierce battle in the paint with Bam Adebayo.
exchange of blows
The even first half led to a dizzying exchange of blows between the stars of both teams. adebayo He lifted the crowd out of their seats with a forceful dunk on Jokic and then Murray nailed a spectacular three-pointer in an unstoppable relay of lead changes.
The Nuggets they went into halftime with a slim five-point advantage (53-48), but around the locker room they launched the great acceleration thanks to Jokic.
Within three minutes, the Serb had already led Denver to a double-digit lead and continued to masterfully manage his team until the rookie Christian Braunwith a steal in their field and crushing only the local hoop, put a distance of 19 points (82-63) at the edge of the end of the third quarter.
The Heat, who never give up, made a last-minute push when Jimmy Butler was already resting on the bench. A triple of Duncan Robinson brought them within 9 points and, after an offensive foul by Murray, they had the next possession, but Adebayo missed a shot from midrange and the Heat they got down on the knee before some already half-empty stands.
The last seconds were used for him to jump onto the track udonis haslem and converted, to his 42 yearsin the oldest player to play a Finals.
