The Miami Heat had a rather rough Game 1 in the 2023 NBA Finals. Playing the Denver Nuggets at home, the Heat were toppled by 11 points. Jimmy Butler struggled to score as he managed to put up just 13 points. Moreover, Caleb Martin and Max Strus had shockingly disappointing shooting records. On the other hand, Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets to their fifth consecutive win in a row in the Playoffs with a triple-double. The Centre put up 27 points with 10 rebounds and 14 assists. The score at the end of regulation was 93-104.
Jimmy Butler spoke to the press after the game. The guard spoke about Miami’s struggles and addressed their Game 1 loss. However, he was very clear on the fact that they’re not demotivated on any level. Butler also spoke about what the Heat needs to do in order to play better against Jokic and Co. in Game 2. He, along with Gabe Vincent, mentioned that the Heat will come out better in Game 2.
“Definitely think they came out with a lot of physicality and we have to be able to match that. They did their job on a home floor you’d have to say that.” Jimmy Butler started off talking about the Denver Nuggets. He then spoke about how the Miami Heat will look to come back in Game 2. “We will be ready like he (Gabe Vincent) said. We will adjust and do some things very differently and come out an be ready to get one for Game 2.”
There’s no doubt that the Miami Heat would come back with a high spirit in Game 2. After all, they’ve been electric all postseason and would surely look to keep their winning momentum going in the Finals.
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What can we expect in Nuggets-Heat Game 2?
Although the Miami Heat lost Game 1, they are far from losing the series. The Heat have played phenomenally well in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Moreover, they are the second team in NBA history to make the finals after being the eighth seed. On the other hand, the Denver Nuggets have been the definition of domination this season. They walked in as the number one seed and trounced every team on their way to the NBA Finals.
Nikola Jokic has been playing on an entirely different level for the Nuggets this postseason. Jokic has scored 29.8 points per game with 13.5 rebounds and 10.1 assists in the 2023 playoffs. Moreover, he has Jamal Murray as an excellent guard alongside him. Murray has averaged 27.6 points per game with 5.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists in the 2023 playoffs. Clearly, the Nuggets are not going to be an easy team to beat.
Although the Denver Nuggets look strong, the Miami Heat too have been exceptional. They have defeated the number one and two seeds in the East on their trip to the NBA Finals. They first eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round in a big surprise to the NBA fandom. The Eastern Conference Finals was on another victory against the Boston Celtics. Needless to say, the Miami Heat, led by Jimmy Butler, have been full of surprises. It will be interesting to see how they come up in Game 2. Perhaps they might give a really tough fight to Denver after all.
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