The Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals 104-93 on Thursday night, pulling within three wins of their first title in franchise history. Denver was in complete control of this game all night long, but starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope did struggle on the offensive-end of the floor.
Scoring just seven points in 36 minutes for the Nuggets, Caldwell-Pope looked uncomfortable at times and went back to the locker room at one point. He was then seen riding the bike on Denver's sideline before checking back in the game.
Following the victory, Denver's veteran told Marc J. Spears from ESPN and Andscape that he was dealing with a sore right tailbone, but does expect to play in Game 2 on Sunday night.
This is good news for Caldwell-Pope and the Nuggets, as it does not appear he is dealing with anything serious. However, tailbone injuries can be tricky and limit a player's movement on the floor, so this will be a minor injury to keep tabs on moving forward in this championship series.
All five starters for the Nuggets played at least 36 minutes in Game 1 against the Heat and they beat Miami on the interior. Denver outscored them 46-38 in the paint and they were more aggressive than them attacking the basket, as they outscored Miami by 14 points at the free-throw line.
As a team, the Heat struggled on the offensive-end of the floor, as they shot just 40.6 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from three-point range.
Picking up their first NBA Finals victory, the Nuggets proved in this first game that they are the best team in the league this year. Despite Caldwell-Pope's struggles and injury scare, Denver still received enough production from not only Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, but the likes of Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Bruce Brown off the bench.
Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals will be played on Sunday, June 4 in Denver.
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