Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray made history on Wednesday night — and have the Denver Nuggets two wins away from making some real history as well.
The pair became the first team-mates in NBA Finals history to both record triple-doubles, helping their team reclaim the lead in the series by beating the Miami Heat 109-94 in Game Three.
Jokic finished with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists – the first such game in NBA Finals history, or at least the first since assists were tracked. Murray, meanwhile, had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone could only marvel at their brilliance.
“By far, their greatest performance as a duo in their seven years together” he said in the immediate aftermath of the game with a beaming smile on his face.
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How did they do it? Well, Miami have been the comeback kings of these playoffs; they have notched seven rallies in games after trailing by at least 12 points.
In the fourth quarter, they were once again down by 14 points and looking to fire themselves up for a blockbuster ending, but Malone had prepared his players for exactly that.
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“First two games, they won the fourth quarter,” he said hours before a single basketball had been swished. “[In Game Three], we win the fourth quarter, we win the game.”
His team listened.
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Check out how Nuggets duo Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray picked apart Miami Heat to make history by becoming the first team-mates to both record triple-doubles as they led Denver Nuggets to an impressive victory in Game 3 of the NBA finals.
The lead eventually reached 21, the outcome never seriously in doubt, and Jokic looking very much like he’s back in cruise control. The Heat got within nine on a three-pointer by Duncan Robinson with 1:22 left, but there was no epic finish for Miami – the Nuggets were simply too far ahead to get caught.
“You have to expect there to be elite talent in the finals,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra admitted. “And both those guys are elite-level talent.”
Officially, Jokic is now the seventh player to have two triple-doubles in the same finals. Magic Johnson and LeBron James each did it in three different finals. Draymond Green, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird and Butler all had one title series with two triple-doubles.
It was the Serb’s 10th triple-double of these playoffs, extending his single-season record, and he was unbothered by whatever Miami threw his way. He finished 12 for 21 from the floor, 7 for 8 from the line, playing 44 minutes.
“We were more locked in, more focused,” Jokic said, and that was palpable in the players around him too, like Christian Braun.
Braun was tremendous off the bench for the Nuggets, scoring 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting in 19 minutes. Aaron Gordon added 11 for Denver. Afterward, they both admired at what their stars did.
“It’s greatness, man. It’s greatness,” Gordon said. “That’s a dynamic duo right there.”
Braun added: “I would say that it’s what they do every game.”
The Heat now have no choice but to respond on Saturday. They stole home court by winning Game 2 in Denver, a game where Murray had a chance to force overtime with a three-point try that missed at the end. The tables were once again flipped.
Although Jimmy Butler scored 28 points for Miami, and Bam Adebayo finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds, there just was not enough contribution from the support act.
You can watch how the action unfolds in Game Four live on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Main Event, or for free on Sky Sports YouTube channel.
Sourse: skysports.com
