The Denver Nuggets won Game Three of the NBA Finals and lead the series 2-1; with Game Four just around the corner, can Erik Spoelstra's team fire themselves back into pole position, or will Nikola Jokic reign supreme again?; find out with Sky Sports on Saturday morning from 1:30am.
Friday 9 June 2023 07:30, UK
The Denver Nuggets won Game Three of the NBA Finals and lead the series 2-1. With Game Four just around the corner, can Erik Spoelstra's team fire themselves back into pole position, or will Nikola Jokic reign supreme again?
Michael Malone's men take the action back to the Ball Arena, and with it, the confidence that if they play their cards right, they'll be one win away from securing the championship title.
We've taken a look at some of the key talking points...
They're the first duo in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double in the same game - yes, you read that right.
Jokic has proved himself as one of the league's elite centers for years. But with Murray finally operating in his fittest form, whether it was from the three-point range, or an explosive drive to the basket, the pair were devastating.
Few attackers can dominate the court in passing and shooting like Jokic and Murray do. The fact that they are doing it against elite-level defenders in Caleb Martin and Bam Adebayo furthers that point.
The duo gave their opposition too much to process from screens to rolls, creating mismatches all over the defence; when one player loaded on the inside, the other proved an elusive shooter and slasher.
Somehow, the Heat have to devise a master plan to slow things down because, at this rate, they'll be thrown to the sidelines before they even realise what's happening.
Christian Braun - remember the name. The backup rookie point guard came on in the second half and surprised Miami with 15 points and a burst of energy they simply couldn't handle.
Just days ago, the Heat delved into their own reserve squad and gave Duncan Robinson the spotlight as his crucial fourth-quarter stint helped the team across the line. This time around, the tables had turned.
Braun was just one of several solid secondary performances. Aaron Gordon also stepped up to the forefront, notching 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Michael Porter Jr continued his defensive renaissance.
"It's a collective effort," said Murray when asked to comment on his team-mates' contributions. "Sometimes the ball comes to you. Sometimes somebody else does the dirty work and boxes the big guy out. I think it's everybody chipping in to get those rebounds."
Miami had few answers for their opponents' support act, while their own, bar Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, seemed missing in action.
Indeed, Kevin Love scored a measley six points, Max Strus could only pick up three in 24 minutes, and Gabe Vincent completed the act with seven.
The comeback specialists weren't allowed to work their magic in the final 12 minutes of the game, and part of the credit has to go to Malone.
"First two games, they won the fourth quarter," the Nuggets head coach said hours before a single basketball had been swished. "Tonight, we win the fourth quarter, we win the game."
His team listened and did not give their opponents so much as a crumb to feed on in the second half, instead securing a double-digit lead heading into the third quarter.
By the time Butler and Adebayo wound themselves up for another blockbuster finish to the game, their opponents were kicking dust, ahead by as many as 19 points.
Of course, it helped that both spent large swathes of the game isolated, on an island of their own. But Miami had revealed all their tricks and handed their cards over to Denver. Erik Spoelstra now has to return the favour in three days time.
The Heat were victimised persistently in the paint. Not only did the Nuggets attack the rim and reap their rewards, but they also dominated the glass, out-rebounding Miami 58-33.
It was a decisive display of physicality by a Denver team who aren't exceptionally tall but discovered an extra few inches in the air to keep Miami's attack under wraps.
Murray and Gordon warrant special mentions for their defensive efforts. While the former was excellent in out-rebounding Butler 10-2, the latter became the third Denver player with double-figure rebounds (10).
Spoelstra did not mince his words when addressing his team's concerning defensive display in the aftermath of Game Three.
"They just pummelled us in the paint," he said, lamenting his team losing too many 50-50 plays. "They didn't really have to shoot threes. They had, whatever, 60 in the paint. They probably shot over 65% in the paint at the rim there. Wasn't a need to space the floor."
A prediction not far off from reality. Miami were pummelled. They did score 60 in the paint. The piece de resistance, however, was that Denver didn't need to slip out of first gear with rebounds.
In truth, Miami lacked the physicality, and Denver kept going. All eyes now turn to Game Four on Saturday.
Can Butler and his teammates fire themselves back into pole position, or will the Nuggets reign supreme? Watch it unfold live on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Main Event from 1:30am or for free on the Sky Sports YouTube channel.
