Denver has a chance to finally become an NBA champion after a 47-year wait. But first they must win two games in Miami.
Kevin Love starts in place of Caleb Martin for the Heat, who come in looking to lock down Denver’s size. The Nuggets’ defense helped them build a lead early, which Jokic and Murray extended.
Miami Heat vs. Denver Nuggets
There weren’t many who gave Miami a chance to compete against the Nuggets in their NBA Finals debut, especially after getting manhandled in Game 1. But Eric Spoelstra made some major tweaks to his team’s gameplan and now his players are just one win away from their first franchise championship.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were on fire in Game 2, and they continue to be a force to be reckoned with here in Game 3. The two-man show in the paint is keeping Denver on top and forcing Miami out of their comfort zone.
The defending champs aren’t used to being pushed around and their defense has been struggling throughout this series. They’ll need to tighten up and improve if they want to advance to their fourth straight Eastern Conference Finals.
Denver started the game off hot, but Miami took a 2-1 lead at halftime after Max Strus hit a 3-pointer and Bam Adebayo finished off a fastbreak with a dunk. Denver has been much more efficient on the offensive end in the second half and are averaging nearly 60 points per game over the past 24 minutes.
Jokic is averaging a triple-double in the playoffs and has been unstoppable. His playmaking ability has kept the Nuggets afloat in this series and his scoring will likely increase if he can avoid the foul trouble that plagued him in Game 1.
Miami hasn’t been the most efficient team on the offensive side of the ball, but their perimeter depth has helped keep them competitive. Tyler Herro was listed as a game-time decision for this one and could provide another long-range threat for the Heat.
The Nuggets have won their last three games in Miami, but the Heat have been more productive on the road this season and are a better rebounding team. They’ll be looking for another solid performance in Game 4 and a third consecutive victory to ensure a spot in the conference finals.
Game 3
There weren’t many who gave Miami a chance of knocking off the Nuggets in Denver after they were manhandled in Game 2. But they have shown time and again that they can defy the odds and pull off miracles. They will need to do so one more time to avoid being swept by the top-seeded Denver team.
The Heat’s improbable playoff run has been powered by hot shooting from the perimeter. The team has improved from a bottom-10 3-point shooting team to one of the top-scorers in the playoffs at 39.2% from beyond the arc. That should come in handy against the Denver defense, which has softened up on the road and allowed teams to shoot better than 48% from three-point range.
The first quarter was a bit of a stalemate as both teams traded baskets and the Heat trailed by just five at the half. But the Nuggets opened the third quarter with a 10-4 run and took their first double-digit lead of the game. The run included an alley-oop dunk from Jokic and a flurry of free throws from Murray and Jeff Green.
But the Heat started to claw back, getting some timely three-pointers from James Johnson and Bam Adebayo. They pulled within two and the crowd at Kaseya Center came alive.
With just under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Heat cut the deficit to six points. But the Nuggets got a huge lift from Christian Braun, who scored 15 of his 17 points in the final period and sealed the win.
In the end, the Heat fell to the Nuggets and suffered their first home loss of the playoffs in almost four years. But they remain in control of the series and have a chance to extend this dream season even further with a win at home on Monday. The NBA’s most underrated team is about to do something remarkable and show the world that they are a force to be reckoned with. If they can keep battling through this series, the rest of the league will take notice.
Game 4
Much like the days of Van Halen when front-man David Lee Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen ate up all the face time, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are what everyone seems to want to talk about with the Nuggets. But what many forget is the tremendous supporting cast that Jokic and Murray are surrounded by on Denver’s roster. Forward Aaron Gordon quietly had a monster game Wednesday night, scoring 11 points, snatching 10 rebounds and handing out five assists.
He also had a crucial block late in the fourth quarter to deny Bam Adebayo a sure-fire layup and prevent a Heat comeback. The play was an example of how well the Nuggets’ defense can hold opponents without Jokic and Murray having to do everything on their own.
The Nuggets started off hot in the first quarter and threw up four quick threes to take a 13-point lead by the end of the period. Their lockdown defense prevented the Heat from getting close to the basket, and that led to a sluggish start for both of Miami’s primary offensive cogs. Miami’s best two shooters, Josh Richardson and Tyler Herro, combined for just 14 points on a dismal 1/17 shooting from deep.
In the second half, Denver’s defense stepped up and Jokic got back to work. The two-time MVP was on fire with his third quarter scoring as Denver opened up a 16-point lead. Jokic had a double-double by the end of the third with 26 points and 17 rebounds.
As the game went into the final period, the Nuggets’ defense continued to hold firm and force Miami into a lot of fouls. That gave Denver more opportunities to score off turnovers and dunks, and they closed out the game with a flurry of baskets.
The victory marked the fifth straight game in which the Nuggets held their opponent to less than 100 points. It also kept their perfect record at home in the playoffs this season and gave them a 3-1 series lead over the Heat heading to the Mile High City for Game 5. The series shifts back to South Beach on Monday.
Game 5
The Denver Nuggets are in a prime position to win the NBA Championship and become just the second team in the history of the league to do so. They have the best record in the Western Conference and opened as huge betting favorites to win this best-of-seven series against the Miami Heat, which are also trying to secure their first championship in 10 years.
This has been a season of adversity for the Heat, and they have used it as a way to define themselves. That adversity is what has helped them to this point of the playoffs, where they are just one win away from a championship.
Despite the fact that the Nuggets are favored to win Game 5, the Miami Heat have been a great bet at home during these playoffs, going 7-3 SU and 8-5 ATS while posting a +8.5 net rating as hosts. This has led to the Over/Under for this contest sitting at 216.5 points, which is still looking very solid, especially considering that the Over/Under was at 216 in Game 2.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray started slowly in the opening quarter but exploded in the second quarter as the Nuggets began to run the break and force mismatches with their size advantage. The Nuggets went on an 8-2 run to take a 24-21 lead at halftime, and Max Strus was finally able to find the basket after a horrible 0/10 start. He has scored 14 points on the game and needs to keep hot to give the Heat a chance.
