Miami unable to solve Nuggets’ offense
The Denver Nuggets’ offense was a riddle that the Miami Heat couldn’t solve.
In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Heat had a hard time matching up with Denver’s physicality. Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic effortlessly put up 27 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists. And Jamal Murray, who totaled 26 points and 10 assists, got to his spots at will.
When the buzzer sounded on the Heat’s 104-93 loss on Thursday night, it was evident they have more to learn about controlling the Nuggets’ offense.
“Yeah, we’re definitely going to have to go to school on it,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They are in a pretty good rhythm, especially in that first half.”
The final score doesn’t tell the tale of how much Denver dominated Miami. Murray and Jokic’s two-man dance was too much to handle.
In the fourth quarter, Murray knocked down a fadeaway jumper that extended the Nuggets’ lead to 92-76 with 6:26 to go. When the Heat managed to cut into the deficit, Murray connected with Jokic on back- to- back baskets to give Denver a 96-82 lead with less than four minutes left.
“Jamal is a talented player,” Heat guard Gabe Vincent said. “He can score in a number of ways. I think one of the things that makes him difficult to guard is when he gets off the ball, and then you have to deal with the cuts and he’s circling back.”
Butler didn’t seem surprised about Jokic’s performance. “He’s an MVP,” he said.
“He’s going to make plays,” Butler continued. “We just have to continue to make it difficult, be physical with him when we can, like we mentioned, take away the layups and try to take away these cuts and attack him on offense.”
Jokic and Murray were only a piece of the Heat’s problems Thursday. In the first half, the Nuggets used their size to punish Miami’s lineup that featured four perimeter players. Forward Aaron Gordon was pushing around defenders in the paint, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the first half. Michael Porter Jr. (14 points and 12 rebounds) looked aggressive, flying to the rim for a putback dunk before driving to the basket for a one-handed jam in the second quarter.
The Nuggets ended the first half outscoring Miami 32-18 in the paint.
“They are a physical group,” Vincent said. “I think we had to adjust to their physicality early, especially myself.”
Eventual ly, Miami found a limit to Denver’s points in the paint. The Heat’s zone defense created some problems, leading the Nuggets to generate only 14 points around the rim in the second half. But Jokic and Murray’s ability to facilitate, mixed with Denver’s offball movement, prevented the Heat from gaining any momentum throughout the evening.