Denver Nuggets' legendary center Nikola Jokic continues to make history in his recent NBA Finals Game 3 performance against the Miami Heat.
The Nuggets blew out Miami in their home court by as many as 19, and it was so bad the fans were leaving the court before the final buzzer sounded:
Heat fans are filing out of the Kaseya Center with 8:28 remaining and Miami down 93-72.
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/g40Ses7MvI
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 8, 2023
It was a team-effort win, with Jamal Murray's own triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists and the Nuggets' unlikely hero being rookie Christian Braun, who scored 15 points on 7-8 shooting off the bench, but the game ball without a doubt goes to Nikola Jokic. After Jokic's historic start to the game, he ended with a monster stat line: 32 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists. In fact, his 30-20-10 game is the first ever in NBA Finals history, according to Justin Kubatko, creator of Basketball Reference.
Players to record at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game in NBA Finals history:
š Nikola Jokic (2023)
That's the list š¤Æ
(via @Stathead) pic.twitter.com/qr5BqcDkih
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 8, 2023
Fun fact: Nikola Jokic is also the player with the most 30-point, 20-rebound triple-doubles in NBA playoff history with three.
Most 30-point, 20-rebound triple-doubles in NBA playoff history:
š„ Nikola Jokic (3)
š„ Wilt Chamberlain (1)
š„ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1)ELITE COMPANY! pic.twitter.com/05XPWVAjXD
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 8, 2023
It all just adds to the mythical playoff run that the Joker is having this season. In 17 playoff games so far, he has averaged 30.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.1 assists while shooting 54% from the field, 47%(!!!) from the three-point line, and 79% from the free throw line. The Miami Heat have done all they can to stop the Joker, whether it's by making him a scorer rather than a facilitator or shutting down the other guys. The latter did happen, as Michael Porter Jr. only scored two points on 1-7 shooting, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was 0-3 from deep, but it was simply not enough. Jokic dominated the game on both ends, scoring as usual and getting others involved while controlling the paint with his rebounds in an unprecedented fashion. Not even Miami's Bam Adebayo could contain him.
The Miami Heat will leave Game 3 with a lot more questions than answers as they will head to Game 4 down 2-1 to the Denver Nuggets.
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