Jamal Murray was a menace to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals Thursday night. The Denver Nuggets star point guard was instrumental in not only helping his team score a 104-93 victory but also in ending the Heat's streak of Game 1 upset victories in the playoffs.

Jamal Murray alternated with Nikola Jokic in punishing the Heat. Murray came away with 26 points on 11-for-22 shooting from the field while also handing out 10 assists and pulling down six rebounds in 44 minutes. His ability to create shots and make even the hard ones gave the Heat so much headache. Jokic, on the other hand, put together perhaps the most nonchalant triple-double in the history of the NBA Finals, as he scored 27 points, dished out 14 assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds in 40 minutes.

Prior to the 2023 NBA Finals, the Heat had been shocking opponents on the road in series openers. Back in the first round, they took down Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1. The New York Knicks suffered the same fate in the second round as well as the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. But Jamal Murray and the Nuggets proved to be too much to handle for Miami in Game 1, and they will look to get that trend going the rest of the way.

Nevertheless, the Nuggets can't simply relax after just a win, as the Heat remain as dangerous as ever.

Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals will be on Sunday, still at Ball Arena in Mile High City.