NBA: Denver Nuggets beat Miami Heat in Game 3 of the Finals

SUMMARY

The Denver Nuggets found a way to overshadow their performance from the previous game by winning Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday with a 109-94 win over the Miami Heat.

The duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray hosted the show to give the Nuggets a 2-1 series lead. They became the first two teammates in NBA history to score a hat-trick in a Finals game.

Jokic once again wowed fans with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists. He is the first player in history to score a hat-trick with at least 30 points and 20 rebounds.

“It doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. I’m happy that we won the match. I didn’t want us to fall 1-2 after losing the last game at home,” Jokic argued on his stats.

Murray, a Canadian from Kitchener, Ontario, also shone and finished the game with 34 points, 10 assists and 10 assists. At the half, he already had 20 points on the clock, he who had accumulated only 18 points during the second part of this series.

“He plays phenomenally. He throws very well and he is an excellent point guard. We just have to follow him,” boasted Jokic about his teammate.

” It’s incredible! As far as Nikola is concerned, there is nothing that surprises me anymore. He always comes out strong in the big moments. I am very proud of Jamal. He had put the result of Game 2 on his shoulders even if it wasn’t just him, it’s a team affair. But champions and warriors do that. We put the statistics aside, I felt his energy throughout the game, ”described Nuggets coach Michael Malone.

“It’s a good duo and their game complements each other perfectly. They can score in several ways. They also involve several teammates. We lost a lot of physical duels at crucial points in the game,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Denver totally dominated near the basket with a harvest of 55 rebounds against 33 for the Heat.

The game was close in the first two quarters as the gap was only five points at the half for the Nuggets, who opened the machine in the third quarter to give themselves a 14-point priority after 36 minutes of play in more to close the door in defense to the Heat, which failed to turn the tide.

For the Heat, Jimmy Butler was the best of his team with 28 points. For his part, Bam Adebayo had 22 points and 17 rebounds.

The young Christian Braun shone with 15 points including six in 1:47, in the third quarter for Denver. The 22-year-old from Kansas also grabbed four rebounds.

The two clubs will meet on Friday for the fourth game of the series.