The Miami Heat had no answer for the Denver Nuggets' dynamic duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in Wednesday night's Game 3. Jokic finished with a stat line of 32 points, 21 rebounds, and ten assists, and Murray notched a 34-point triple-double in a game the Nuggets went on to win by a final score of 109-94. Thanks largely to Denver's two best players, the Nuggets have regained home-court advantage in this NBA Finals series.
After the Heat's Game 3 loss, Jimmy Butler spoke to the media and outlined a plan to slow down Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray moving forward, per a tweet from HoopsHype's official Twitter account:
“We’re going to get back to the film and figure it out because we do have to be better guarding both of those guys. One is the ball-hander and one is the guy that is setting the screen and popping and rolling.”
Jimmy Butler on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray: "We’re going to get back to the film and figure it out because we do have to be better guarding both of those guys. One is the ball-hander and one is the guy that is setting the screen and popping and rolling." pic.twitter.com/1Y4ck05R5W
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) June 8, 2023
Jimmy Butler, 33, is in his 12th year in the NBA and fourth as a member of the storied Miami Heat franchise. He averaged 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.3 blocks, 1.6 turnovers, and 1.3 personal fouls per game across 64 appearances this season (all starts).
The former Marquette star shot the ball with impressive accuracy from the field in the 2022-23 campaign — Butler's 53.9% field-goal percentage was the highest of his pro career by a wide margin.
Butler and the Heat should view Friday's Game 4 as a must-win game. After all, only one team in NBA Finals history has come all the way back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series.
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