NBA Finals | Nuggets vs Heat | Game 1 Recap

Denver 104 vs Heat 93 | Ball Arena | Denver, CO | DEN leads series 1-0

Denver Nuggets Quench Heat in Finals Game 1

The Denver Nuggets picked up a dominant win over the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals, with a final score of 104-93. The Nuggets showcased their well-rounded roster, with multiple players contributing to the score line. Meanwhile, the Heat struggled to keep up with the Nuggets' pace and found it difficult to break through their defense. The performance bodes well for the Nuggets' chances going forward in the series, but the Heat will look to bounce back and adjust for the remainder of the finals. Fans can expect an exciting and competitive series between these two talented teams.

The game started as many expected with Miami hanging close in the first quarter. Denver did win the opening quarter 29-20, but Miami showed their typical fight. Then the second quarter started, and Denver superstar Nikola Jokic showed how to dominate a game as a big man without taking every shot possible. At the end of three quarters Jokic had five shots taken, yet had a double-double, then when Miami went to their zone in the fourth quarter and went on a run Jokic hit another gear and ended up leading all scorers with 27 points to go with 14 assists, and 10 rebounds for yet another playoff triple double. He said it best in his on-court post-game interview

when he said simply "I know I don't have to score to impact a game."

Jokic didn't have to win this one alone though as he got a double-double from fellow superstar Jamal Murray who had 26 points, 10 assists, and just four rebounds shy of his own triple-double with six. Michael Porter Jr had a 14-point, 14 rebound double-double with two impressive blocks. Aaron Gordon didn't duplicate his game four performance against L.A., but did pitch in 16 points, 6 rebounds, and a block of his own. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the only starter not in double digits in any category. But Bruce Brown was his usual stellar self off the bench with 10 points and 25% of the Nuggets made threes. The Nuggets did a great job of pressuring the Heat into bad fouls with 20 free-throw attempts to Miami's two.

This also breaks Miami's streak of series-opening wins this postseason. Before Thursday night, Miami had won three straight on the road to open a series. This was something stressed by all the

coverage pre-game. It's something we have talked about here, and after a nine day lay-off, there was reason to suspect some rust on part of Denver. There was no rust to start, and does continue a hot streak for Denver though, they are still undefeated in their house this postseason. Miami has pushed the marketing mantra of "White Hot Postseason", Denver just threw them in a slack tub fully quenching most of the Heat roster.

Jimmy Butler only had 14 points; much ballyhooed playoff performer Caleb Martin managed just three points himself. Max Strus probably had the worst game of his life going 0-10 from the field, 0 steals, and only grabbing 5 rebounds. It wasn't all doom and gloom for Miami though. Bam Adebayo had a double-double with a team-high 26 points and 13 rebounds. Adebayo quite possibly had his most complete game of the playoffs, but it marked another streak snapped, Miami was undefeated when Bam went for 25+ in these playoffs. But outside of Gabe Vincent's 19 points, Haywood Highsmith's 18, and Kyle Lowry's 10 no other Heat scored more than three points. It was truly feast or famine for Miami offensively.

Despite all this, Miami showed that typical fight winning the fourth quarter 30-20 after opening the frame with an 11-0 run. This forced Jokic and his fellow starters to play essentially the entire fourth and Joker to kick it up a notch and score those game-high 27 points after only taking five shots in the first 36 minutes. Denver needs to take some lessons from that fourth quarter though if they want to end this series quickly.

Miami has no quit in them, they trailed by as many as 21 at one point in the third quarter. They closed it to less than 10 at one point in the fourth. Butler and Bam will not go down without a fight. Jokic and Murray must play the type of complimentary ball they did while feeding teammates when they are hot as in game one. If Denver can close the way they started, this series will be a quick and lopsided one. If Miami is led to believe they are in it at any point, they will drag this out to my prediction of six games or more. Which one will end up happening? Join us back here Sunday night as we continue coverage of the first NBA Finals in Denver Nuggets history and take another step towards finding out.