The Joker Has The Last Laugh In Game 3
By Andrew Rosario
The Miami Heat accomplished what they wanted to when they held on to win game 2 in Denver to even the NBA Finals at 1 game apiece and looked forward to taking the series home for games 3 and 4. When they took the floor Wednesday night, it would be the first time Miami would host a Finals game in front of their rabid fans since 2004. A win would put the Heat in the driver’s seat with all of the pressure shifting to the Nuggets. Denver’s head coach Mike Malone questioned his team’s effort in the first 2 games pointing out that Miami out played them in the fourth quarter in both games. At the end of game 2, led by another triple double from their center Nikola Jokic, Denver sent the Heat fans home early coming away with decisive 109-94 victory remaining home court advantage and a 2-1 series lead.
Jokic scored 32 points, grabbing 21 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. With his teammate point guard Jamal Murray leading all scorers with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, they became the first duo to record a triple double in any NBA game. Guard Christian Braun was big off the bench as he scored 15 points in 19 minutes. Denver shot 51% from the floor making 22 of 27 free throws.
For Miami, they let the game get away from them in the third quarter as they were outscored 29-20 and at one point trailed by as many as 16 points. Heat guard Jimmy Butler led the team with 28 points, with center Bam Adebayo continued his stellar play scoring 22 pulling down 17 rebounds. Miami simply could not put the ball in the basket. By games end, the Heat shot only 37% from the floor (34-92) bricking 31% from 3-point land missing 24 of 35 attempts.
Said Malone of the duo’s performance, “by far, their greatest performance in their seven years together.” The very humble Jokic chimed in saying, “I’m just glad we won the game. It was a big one for us because they won in our arena. We just didn’t want to go down 2-1.”
Butler is confident they can turn it around in game 4 that will take place Friday night. “We’ve got to come with more energy and effort and that’s correctable. That’s on us as a group.”
Heat’s head coached Eric Spoelstra praised the performance by Nuggets Jokic and Murray. “You have to expect there to be elite talent in the Finals. Both those guys are elite level talent.”
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