NBA Finals Now 2-1 in Favor of Denver Nuggets Thanks to Combined Punch of Nikola Jokic & Jamal Murray

Michael Malone has been forthright about the Denver Nuggets’ fourth-quarter troubles against the Miami Heat throughout these NBA Finals, first after Game 2 and again before Wednesday night’s tipoff.

At the start of the fourth quarter of Game 3, Denver had a 14-point lead thanks to the efforts of Nikola Joki and Jamal Murray.

Malone decided to start Jokic instead of the usual bench unit with Aaron Gordon and Murray, plus the versatile Bruce Brown, promising rookie Christian Braun, and grizzled veteran Jeff Green.

Joke was really fantastic. Keeping him on the court gave Denver an opportunity to reclaim the edge of playing at home, so the Nuggets had to.

The two-time MVP led Denver to a 109-94 victory and a 2-1 series lead over the Heat with his historic effort, becoming the first player in NBA history to have at least 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists in a Finals game.

Jokic finished with a triple-double of 32 points, 21 boards, and 10 assists. Does the Serbian’s performance on this championship stage warrant any other description than “masterpiece” at this point?

Jokic and Murray, the two anchors of Denver’s offense, operated their polished two-man game for the majority of the night, with Jokic receiving passes from Murray in the paint and the assured guard pulling up for midrange finishes and step-back threes.

After scoring a game-high 34 points, Murray also pulled down 10 boards and dished out 10 assists for his own 30-point triple-double.

However, the Nuggets have struggled all series to find a reliable third offensive option. Gordon’s early Game 1 dominance in the paint has not carried over. In the perimeter, Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have been useless.

Braun exploded off the bench for Denver, helping the Nuggets halt another double-digit Miami comeback after Murray opened the fourth quarter with a jumper and Jokic added 4 early points.

In just 19 minutes of action, Braun scored 15 points. On numerous Murray drives throughout the game, Braun fired backdoor along the baseline to avoid Duncan Robinson and Miami’s zone defense.

The 22-year-old plays like he has a spring in his step at all times, whether he is attacking a closeout, crashing the boards, or nudging a pass free for a transition finish. His drive and assist on Jokic’s short jumper at the start of the fourth quarter extended Denver’s advantage to 16 points.

The lead was down to 18 before Braun sliced down the baseline and finished through Gabe Vincent’s contact for a and-1. On the ensuing possession, he made a beeline for Jimmy Butler in the open court and scored again.

Much of the night, Butler was back to his brilliant postseason self, leading Miami with 28 points. Adebayo, who scored 22 points and grabbed 17 boards, followed closely after Jokic and delivered a nasty put-back smash on him in the second quarter.

Caleb Martin was the only player other than Miami’s starters to score in double figures despite the Heat’s supporting cast providing a barrage of 3-pointers in Game 2.

After Robinson hit a pair of 3-pointers in the last minute, Malone shook his head and called timeout. However, Denver was successful in holding off the Heat.

The low bar to clear in South Florida was the full fourth quarter that the Nuggets had yet to achieve against this feisty opponent, the one in which the Nuggets fumbled their first home game of the entire series in Game 2.

In the playoffs, Denver has won four straight away games. The Hurricanes have dropped three straight at home.

After the Finals appeared to be tied a few days ago, Denver appeared to have enough momentum to possibly steamroll through a fourth battle on Friday, setting up the Nuggets to win their first championship in franchise history in Game 5 back at Ball Arena.

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